[dfxm12]

You are correct. Just because the author says "this experience applies to women who are learning to code", that does not preclude the experience from applying to anyone either. She isn't trying to imply that though.

Certainly, the author addresses "girls learning how to code" specifically because her intended audience, on a website named "Lady Coders" is women who are interested in coding.

[smsm42]

If somebody would write "this experience applies to men", most people would certainly see it as non-inclusive, and one would be reminded that it is better to write "applies to people" or something like that.

[saraid216]

It's non-inclusive because men tend to be included and women tend to be excluded on an unequal basis. So "this experience applies to women" is a reminder that the experience also applies to women, which is usually forgotten.

[obviouslygreen]

While the inclusiveness issue you cite is reasonable enough, the conclusion that "x applies to normally-excluded group y" does not signal "x applies to y in addition to unmentioned but related group z."

If you mean "also," use "also." I don't know if you're the author, but regardless, composing based on your perception of the way your audience thinks assumes too much about your audience and their perceptions of the issues you're writing around without being clear.

[saraid216]

In other words, males will feel slighted if you don't explicitly include them in a piece directed towards women? Is it so terrible that males might not be amongst your audience?

Here is the only gendered sentence in the entire OP:

> So to all the girls learning how to code, and not sure where you stand: screw it, and just call yourself a developer already.

Is it really so insulting that she didn't say, "girls and boys"? There are only two other gendered words, and they're both pronouns referring to a specific individual.

[smsm42]

It's in no way insulting to me, personally, and I am not in a slightest way demanding the author to change and to write differently, I am quite content with it as is. I am just noting if there would be a man writing it, and he wrote something like "For all men learning to code, do this and that" he would very soon be reminded to avoid using non-inclusive language. I do not feel insulted by that either, just noting this phenomenon.

[saraid216]

> I am just noting if there would be a man writing it, and he wrote something like "For all men learning to code, do this and that" he would very soon be reminded to avoid using non-inclusive language.

And such a reminder would be completely appropriate. If someone else didn't remind him, then you should step up and do so yourself.

[anglebracket]

>Is it really so insulting that she didn't say "girls and boys"

Agree. There's nothing in the article that even suggests that this phenomenon only applies to, or more often applies to women.

The "to all the girls" part is clearly due to the fact that the article is written by a woman and posted on a site mostly directed towards women.

EDIT: It looks like the article's been edited since it was originally posted, and that it used the wording "this experience applies to women (...)." I still don't think this is a major issue since the article was meant to assuage the concerns of someone who's experiencing impostor syndrome, and again, the article is written by a woman and posted on a site mostly directed towards women.

[slurgfest]

No, it is not terrible to aim an article (or a site) primarily at one gender or another.

[calopetreep]

If the article did indeed say "this experience applies to women (...)", it now appears to've been edited for clarity.