[joe_the_user]

The sexism isn't overt for legal reasons, but that doesn't change the end results.

Hmm, Oddly enough, I think that laws on sexism, racism and reasonable behavior by employers actually influences their behavior. There may still be sexist attitudes, say, at a large company but the norm is to make a serious effort prevent them. Believe it or not but laws actually matter... Laws don't prevent bad behavior but they certainly mitigate it. Also, I suspect that one sees bad behavior most often the very top of the large corporations, since those with the most power are naturally mostly likely see themselves as above anyone's else's laws. But the top of a large company is a small area compared to the vast middle.

[tptacek]

Big companies have infinitely more to lose. Something else I've seen repeatedly in my career: even frivolous claims of harassment are settled with cash, because the cost to fight them is too high.

You can't do that with a tiny startup because there's not enough to sue for.

[jacquesm]

The outcome of such lawsuits and the possibility to settle them for cash varies greatly with location.

In the USA you'd be right, in Europe or Asia much less so.

[cakesy]

Well, they clearly don't have infinitely more to lose, that is ridiculous. Don't throw that word around, it make you look stupid to mathematicians, and you don't want to make a mathematician angry, They understand the language of the universe.

[tptacek]

So they can what? Talk to the universe? I'm so scared.