[lukev]

This argument is insidious, because it's extremely difficult to document a pattern, particularly when folk come out of the woodwork to undermine each and every individual anecdote claiming sexism (as in this and every other thread like this on HN. Even, I would point out, in cases where the sexism is undeniable to any rational observer).

Do you have to believe every anecdote? Of course not. Should you let those women have a voice to air their perceived grievances, without stifling them in the name of "fairness" or "defaults"? To do any less is the very definition of institutional sexism.

[AnimalMuppet]

I wasn't talking about the discussion here on HN. I was talking about when something happens to a female in the workplace. Is it just that Mr X had a bad day? Or is he a jerk to everyone? Or is he just a jerk to the female employees? You (the female employee) need more than one incident to tell. And you (the HN readers) usually don't have enough data to tell one way or the other.