Foundations Pack
We’ve curated the resources below to provide a broad and comprehensive understanding of the challenges facing womxn in tech and how you can make tech culture more inclusive, supportive, and equitable. Our favorites are marked with the ➤ symbol. We recommend starting with “How Men Can Become Better Allies to Women”.
Read
➤ How Men Can Become Better Allies to Women
W. Brad Johnson & David G. Smith | Harvard Business Review
Are you interested in becoming an ally, but don't know where to start? Anshul Shah of Ridgeline, one of our Industry Partners, recommends this brief article.
➤ Men as Allies: Engaging Men to Advance Women in the Workplace
Center for Women and Business at Bentley University
The report is the ultimate guide that outlines the definition of male allyship, positive impacts of gender balance, twenty ways men can advance women at work, what ignites attitude change, how to launch a men as allies initiative, and more. If you're looking for ways to immediately take action, this is a great place to turn.
➤ The Tech Industry’s Gender-Discrimination Problem
Sheelah Kolhatkar | The New Yorker
Available in written and audio formats, this long-form exposé details the stories of multiple women struggling to succeed in an abusive tech industry full of discrimination and harrassment. Although their shocking experiences may not be as common today, remnants of their situations certainly persist, and their ferocious push for change inspires and informs our own.
➤ NCWIT Scorecard: The Status of Women in Computing
W. DuBow & J.J. Gonzalez | National Center for Women & Information Technology
Some of the stats at the end of our short film, Token, came from this report created by the non-profit, National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT). This scorecard aggregates data from several trusted resources about women in the computing ecosystem, broken down into the categories of secondary education, post-secondary education, and workforce. NCWIT also provides access to the raw data to help you make the case for diversity in your organization.
Brotopia
Emily Chang
Brotopia covers the history of gender inequality, lack of diversity, and exclusivity of Silicon Valley and tech culture at large and explains the factors that lead to groundbreaking movements like #MeToo. This book was recommended by Cal Poly Professional Responsibilities lecturer, Nicholas Sakellariou, who is known for fostering ethical discussions about tech in the classroom.
➤ Reflecting On One Very, Very Strange Year At Uber
Susan Fowler
Susan Fowler's blog post describes the sexual misconduct and toxic bro culture she experienced as a software engineer at Uber. This monumental essay went viral and sparked a tsunami of news coverage, corporate policy changes, similar accusations, and internal investigations.
➤ To Expose Sexism At Uber, Susan Fowler Blew Up Her Life
Elizabeth Lopatto | The Verge
Before you read this article, read Susan Fowler's "Reflecting On One Very, Very Strange Year At Uber" (described above). This article by The Verge follows up with Fowler three years after the original blog post she wrote unveiling deep rooted cultural issues in the tech industry. Also, check out her recently released book, Whistleblower.
Diversity and Inclusion Report 2018
DICE
We sourced some of the stats at the end of our short film, Token, from this resource. The easily digestible report provides insights from a survey of nearly 4,000 professional women and men in tech about their perspectives on diversity and inclusion, tech's changing culture, retention, pipeline reality, and methods to build a diverse workforce.
The Future of Diversity and Inclusion in Tech
Megan Rose Dickey | TechCrunch
Some companies have started trying to implement systemic changes to make their workplaces more diverse and inclusive. This long-form article reflects on how those changes have been insufficient so far and highlights the massive work still ahead.
Advocacy vs. Activism vs. Allyship
ShoutOut!
Our work is focused around creating allies, but we actually hope you aspire to be much more than that. Allyship, advocacy, and activism are different levels of active involvement in combating discrimination. Check out this short article to learn each word's definition and decide how you identify.
Watch
➤ Purl
Kristen Lester & Gillian Libbert-Duncan | Pixar SparkShorts
This Pixar animated short is similar to our live-action short film. A ball of yarn named Purl gets a job at a homogenous start-up where she doesn't fit in. Purl wrestles with how much she is willing to conform to be accepted and whether the sacrifice is worth the reward.
➤ The Power of Vulnerability
Brené Brown | TED
In one of the most viewed TED Talks of all time, Brené Brown studies human connection -- our ability to empathize, belong, and love. In this poignant, funny talk, she shares a deep insights from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity. As you watch, consider whether you and people you work with fall into the whole-hearted category.
Why Gender Equality is Good for Everyone — Men Included
Michael Kimmel | TED
Michael Kimmel is a scholar of men & masculinity. In this TED Talk, he makes the practical case for the value of gender equality in the workplace and why it's a win-win with more opportunity and happiness for everyone.
CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap
Finish Line Features
In this documentary, women in computing discuss the lack of diversity and gender equality in the industry and strategies to close the critical gap. CODE raises the question: what would society gain from having more women and minorities in computing?
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