Brotopia

Brotopia

Adult nonfiction
"The unfortunate truth is that right now men's voices dominate
[technology] and we see the results. Popular products from the tech
boom--including violent and sexist video games that a generation of
children has become addicted to--are designed with little or no input
from women. Apple's first version of its highly touted health
application could track your blood-alcohol but not menstruation.
Everything from plus sized smartphones to artificial hearts have been
built to a size better suited to male anatomy...The exclusion of women
matters--not just to job seekers, but to all of us."
There are some really good books coming out on reasons why women
are way underrepresented in tech and what can be done to change
things. Emily Chang's Brotopia: Breaking Up The Boys' Club of
Silicon Valley is (so far) my favorite. It's very readable, even for
people like me who are struggling to catch up in this brave new
world. It's also very thought provoking.
One problem is the incestuous tendency of tech founding fathers,
one of whom believes that women's suffrage has hurt democracy, to
recruit people like themselves from their social networks rather than
casting a wider net. Why bring in a more diverse group that might
slow projects down? In other words, from the beginning this was not
an industry in which women could get the proverbial foot in the door.
The Paypal Mafia described their process as meritocracy. They
took the best and brightest. Chang has a quite different take on the
word. It was coined by Confucius in ancient China. Michael Young, a
British sociologist, sounded a warning note in 1958:
"...he did see grave dangers in the new embrace of meritocracy,
eeirily predicting that in this new world, status would still be
accessible only to a select few: those who has access to an elite
education. As a result, meritocracy would produce a new social
stratification and a new sense of moral exceptionalism."
Chang also goes into detail about how the brotopia lifestyle is
far from ideal or desirable for many women. Many places where
networking and desk making happen are venues in which many women would
not feel comfortable. Sexual harassment is rampant. Widespread
alcohol abuse enables it.
"Many of the women pointed out that declining to drink with the
boys is a double-edged sword. If women don't participate, they're
seen as uptight and not team players. And they miss out on group-
bonding time, which may cost them personal and political capital
within the organization. If they do participate, they're considered
not serious and, worse, risk being sexualized or, worse, as in Holme's
case, even assaulted."
Then there are the demanding hours that are expected of the work
force that make life work balance challenging, epecially after
children come along. Companies that spend gazillions on on site perks
and encourage bringing dogs on campus can't find money or space for
day cares...
If you are interested in bringing more women into tech, Brotopia
is a must read.
On a personal note, I had a totally amazing Christmas. Katie spent
the night in her old bed in the studio, opened gifts with Eugene,
Joey, and me, and spent the morning with us. Adam and Asia dropped
off gifts their cats, Beans and Delilah had purrrrrchased. Smart
kitties. They gave me a cat themed planner book for keeping class,
assignments etc. straight, money toward textbooks, and a snow globe
for my collection. The family all gathered at the event at the in-
laws. What I loved most about the day:
1) Spending time with Eugene and our kids;
2) Katie writing about being proud of how hard I'm working and how
well I'm doing;
3) Tim writing Jules on my card. I Jane hope for his kids and
girlfriend. I think Hell will freeze over before Cheryl and Arlene do;
4) Cuddling with my little friend, Joey cat;
5) Amber giving me home made decorations and donating money in my name.
I won't deny I got spoiled with gifts.
I woke up today very clear headed and ready to do the things I
want to over break. One is getting the house in better shape for when
I'm back in school. To make that fun I start with an area I haven't
tackled in ages. Joey needs a trip to the vet. I have tuition for
next semester to pay. I have a lot of writing I want to do. I have
New Years resolutions made. But you'll have to wait til New Years
Year to see what I've come up with.
A great big shout out goes out to my wonderful spouse, kids, and cat.
jules hathaway


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