[mibbitier]

> "Let's make the issue of women in tech a thing of the past"

Really? By creating a whole website around it? I think it'd be really good to sum up what issue you consider there to be with women in tech...

  * Are there specific instances of sexism that occur?
  * Are there "not enough" women in tech?
  * Is tech uninteresting to most women?

You're suggesting there's an "issue" that needs solving, but I can't find any description on the website of what you consider that issue to be.

Sharing stories from startup women is great, although I'm not a fan of the reverse sexism.

[cassiemc]

We're trying to nail down some of the issues ourselves. The issues our team has discussed so far are often amorphous or interpreted differently depending on context and person, so you can imagine they are difficult to pin down. Exposure and networking were a couple of the harmless problems we thought could help address immediately.

We do have several men on our team (more men than women, in fact), and don't at all intend "reverse sexism".

Also, just to clarify, this isn't just for startup women but for any lady working in tech fields – including those coders who sit behind big monitors all day and are reluctant to put themselves in the limelight or to serve as mentors/role models.

[japhyr]

I think you might be fine not mentioning specific issues yourselves. If you let women tell their stories in an open and honest way, the issues will come out in their stories.

If you craft some well-thought-out questions people will be likely to talk about the specific issues they have faced, how they dealt with those issues, and what kinds of supports they would like to see in their profession.

Focusing on people's stories is a great way to bring out these issues from the very people who have experienced them.

[mediacrisis]

"Reverse sexism"? Check your privilege.

[NotMyMorals]

>"Reverse sexism"? Check your privilege.

"Privilege?" Check your cultural Marxism.

[mediacrisis]

You've got to be kidding me. Catering to one demographic does not inherently disenfranchise the other. Its not sexist that I've never seen a woman in a Gillette Fusion ad (eta: save for at the end when oh MAN is her honey smooth!). It is not "reverse sexist" that there is a site addressing women's issues and experience in tech.

[Goladus]

While I agree "reverse sexist" is a silly term to use in this case, you should really research both sides of the issue before telling a man to check his privilege. (If you had, you would have almost certainly come up with a more effective response)

[mediacrisis]

I'm curious to what the "other side" of this issue is. Is there nary a safe space on the internet for men to talk about their experience in the tech sector?

[Goladus]

> I'm curious to what the "other side" of this issue is.

When the term 'male privilege' is dragged into the discussion, people are likely start thinking about their own experiences. They'll remember girls getting extra attention in labs, girls getting deadline extensions, they'll remember working at a pizza shop Saturday night to help pay rent/tuition while the girl on a girl-only scholarship is enjoying a date paid for by her wealthy boyfriend. The details will be different for each individual but the important point is that the answer to the question "what is privilege?" is not simple. It doesn't offer a clear answer to the charge.

> Is there nary a safe space on the internet for men to talk about their experience in the tech sector?

Why not simply state this point directly (minus the sarcasm if possible) instead of making accusations of privilege to people you don't know anything about?

If the counterargument is good enough I will file it away in my head to use next time the topic comes up. Or I might think of other questions, like what happens if a womens-only tech group becomes more successful than any other tech group in a particular domain/region and men want to participate?

Though personally, I probably would have just downvoted and been done with it.

[king_jester]

Uh what? The OP is male, so he does have male privilege. That is, he will never have the same experience as someone who is a woman. To say that providing an outlet for woman to share their experiences is sexist against men is laughable.

If you are suggesting that privilege of experience doesn't exist or is somehow Marxist, you are basically saying that any experience other than your own isn't real and doesn't count. That is to say, you are calling everyone who has ever lived differently from you a liar.

[mibbitier]

No one will ever have the same experience as anyone else.

The point is, we are all minorities, depending on which way you cut the population. It doesn't really matter, unless you let it matter. especially in this industry.

What about "whites in tech"? Would that be racist? What about "blacks in tech?"

Or are you of the opinion it's impossible to be racist to white people, sexist to men, etc?

[saraid216]

> It doesn't really matter, unless you let it matter.

Yeah, that's the kind of pathetic platitude that condescends in order to pretend nothing's wrong. Having trouble because you're black, female, wheelchair-bound, recovering from alcoholism, etc.? Pft. It wouldn't matter if only you'd stop letting it matter.

[ClHans]

Cultural marxism?

Is that an attempt to discredit someone just by tossing out a scary-sounding label? What if we haven't been programmed to fear Marxism, and "cultural marxism" just makes you sound like an ignant fool?

In other, politer words, what exactly are you trying to say here?

[NotMyMorals]

Cultural Marxism is "just" a "scary-sounding label?" Yet you seem to freely use the jargon without understanding it?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Marxism

Perhaps you are simply ignorant of the origin of your "privilege" rhetoric.

[ClHans]

My "privilege" rhetoric?

What exactly are you trying to say?