James Damore was recently fired for his criticism of Google's diversity policy, his 10-page manifesto discussed conservatives being alienated in the workplace, Google's open left-bias, and women and minorities in the workplace. As a woman studying cybersecurity, I was appalled to see comments regarding how so few women actually hold positions in technology and leadership due to our biological build. Here is what I have to say in response.
Diversity is important
Diversity in the workplace helps further a company and find different solutions. Racial diversity, all different genders, political diversity, and so on are so crucial to success.
Everybody has a different idea based on their own experiences in life, and I understand that in the political climate we currently live in seems to alienate the ideas of anybody who is more conservative. Personally, I am not a conservative, I am a far-left democratic-socialist, however, I will never alienate somebody for their political views. But I do not speak for the entirety of those who lean left, I can only speak for myself. I have even had my own ideas alienated because they do not align perfectly with those that I'm friends with. To make sure my views were heard and understood, I made sure my voice was heard by explaining why I think the way I do and trying to find similarities in views.
This manifesto was a poorly executed attempt at explaining why the author thought the way he did, without factual evidence to highlight the most criticized portion of the essay, stating that women "like people" which is why they cannot be successful at holding positions in technology or leadership. There were similarities I found in how we view things, such as understanding that both sides need to be heard, but sexism is rampant in the tech world and somehow you are implying that your views are not sexist?
In a company where 21 percent of the women employed by Google actually hold tech jobs, where women are still a minority by making up 31 percent of the Google workforce, how can one say that there is no need for diversity?
Women like me want to enter into the tech world, but our entire lives we have fought stereotypes, battled guidance counselors and teachers who tried to push us into a different field, and have had to prove ourselves in classes to show that we can be successful.
It's insulting and degrading to see comments about how diversity isn't important when diversity will help further technology and the company, which has been proven in studies. Diversity standards do not compromise performance because diverse teams actually outperform ones that are homogenous.
Nothing is scientifically correct
To say that women are biologically inferior is incorrect, I'm not exactly sure where this could even have come from. "Women like people and men like things" is the most pitiful argument against Women In Technology and leadership I have ever heard. I did not realize a man's drive for possessing material objects would make him better suited than me to fill a position at a company.
But wouldn't somebody have to like people to actually be a useful member of a company and good leader? Somebody that is a strong communicator, picks up on the vibe of the room, has emotional intelligence, and can have an intelligent conversation? That now would put women at an advantage to be better suited for these positions.
But it's not the biological differences holding back women, it's the constant battle mentioned before. The battle of having to dress correctly for work, having to not be "too-feminine" while also not being "too-masculine," behaving in a way that allows co-workers to show respect, and having to show that we are actually smart enough to do the work. Mentorship programs with other women have been shown to keep more women in engineering and tech positions, which allows for more highly qualified women to go into these fields.
But how can they when companies have their employees sharing these false views and judging every female co-worker at their company? Why is it that when I walk into a class I am objectified, or when I joined my school's Facebook page for the incoming freshman immediately every boy in my major flocked into my inbox and made me feel uncomfortable? It's because the boy's club mentality teaches them that this is okay.
Boy's club
The boy's club mentality is why this manifesto rips apart women. The mentality that exists within government agencies, corporate hierarchies, and tech companies is why women don't hold leadership and tech positions. Everything seems to cater to the males the dominate the industries, and no matter how often the "glass ceiling is broken," there seems to be another glass ceiling that has to be broken.
Same goes for racial minorities, where at Google 56 percent of the employees are white with 36 percent being Asian. However, racial minorities are also discouraged from entering the tech and engineering world, showing that racism still resonates within the so-called "progressive" tech industry. The boy's club does not limit itself to just men, but white men. I have nothing against hiring a white man if he is highly qualified, and I don't believe in passing up a highly qualified candidate just to fill quotas for race and gender, but we cannot give preference to them over anybody else.
We need to stop catering the tech world to the white man and begin to mentor minorities and women. Encourage using computers, integrate a healthy amount of technology into classrooms, have easily accessible clubs and programs during school, and stop telling girls and minorities that they should go into different jobs because "it's not very feminine" or something used as an excuse to cover up a racist thought.
As a woman in technology and a future technology business leader, I am offended, and I think that this manifesto does point out that companies seem to censor ideas from within due to political differences, but it also is offensive to see that this manifesto was supported by numerous amounts of employees at Google. It's disgusting to see something that degrades women and minorities within the industry due to false facts. But that's just me, and I don't speak for the rest of minorities and women in the tech and engineering world.
