The Grace Hopper Celebration is meant to unite women in tech. This year droves of men came looking for jobs.

The Grace Hopper Celebration is meant to unite women in tech. This year droves of men came looking for jobs.

  • @[email protected]English
    2•1 year ago

    I can’t comment on your personal experience. I can only say that I know that in certain countries, India for example, the rat race is unimaginable and some people would do anything to get out.

    The other side of the coin for the foreign worker situation is that the mega-conglomerates like Google, Apple, etc. specifically hire foreign workers and H1B visa employees because they will work for less pay and minimal to no benefits unlike American college graduates that have student loans to pay off and nowhere else to go

    I would hardly consider this a privilege to be honest, as it is still way better compared to companies that now specifically want to hire women to boost their diversity numbers (let’s face it, mostly for purely marketing purpose). I can see your point of view, mind you, but this to me already feels like inter-class war.

    In some ways, they are victims, but they also help to perpetuate many of the worst problems in the industry.

    This is very common to be honest, beside the tech sector, and I agree with you. However, these in my opinion are manifestations of a bigger, higher level problem, not the problem itself. Similarly the case with women who actually accept jobs after being asked if they intend to have kids (illegal in many places, I believe). The problem here is that higher order needs prevail sometimes (or you don’t have enough education/awareness to even understand that you would be part of a problem), leading to effectively workers undermining other workers (you make the good case for salary undercutting, which then becomes a cliche’ talking point for any xenophobic, right wing party, right?).

    All of this to say, it is a complex issue, and if anything shows that there is tons to do in the tech field which is one with super low rate of unionization, to build a common class consciousness. I simply hope that we can look at this as obstacles to overcome, not at reasons to change course.

    (Not to mention the fact that some of the worst sexism I have dealt with was from Indian workers from upper castes.)

    I can imagine that, although my experience (working with a UK company with many Indians) has been completely positive so far. Not to talk about people from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, which I consider - in my limited experience - some of the nicest people I have ever met.

    EDIT:

    I want to add in any case, I have to admit that this is a far more interesting conversation compared to what the article leads to by itself. I would have loved some more in depth reflection on the different categories of workers, the competition created, the impact of layoffs, etc.

    • @[email protected]English
      1•1 year ago

      It is a profoundly complex issue, and that’s what makes much of this comment section so frustrating. Many of the arguments here are very reductionist and fail to account for detail or nuance. In this particular case, I have a hard time excusing the behavior of the accused interlopers given that this is a women’s conference that has been a recurring event for quite some time and has always been a women’s conference.

      Lack of education or not, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask professionals to act professionally and refrain from attending events not intended for them. I think there’s a significant amount of leeway being given to the men/foreign workers who showed up at the women’s conference as if they cannot be expected to regulate their behavior in a professional context. It’s the same kind of hand-waving and excuses that perpetuate the good ol’ boys’ club that the tech industry already is. It is irksome that people here aren’t realizing that the arguments they are making about exclusivity or discrimination are the same arguments frequently used to excuse the misogyny and sexual harassment that is so ubiquitous in the tech industry to begin with.

      • @[email protected]English
        1•1 year ago

        In this particular case, I have a hard time excusing the behavior of the accused interlopers given that this is a women’s conference that has been a recurring event for quite some time and has always been a women’s conference.

        A bit of a nit, but consider there has always been a percentage of men to this conference. Reading online, between 5-10%. So it’s not like it’s a first for men to be there.

        as if they cannot be expected to regulate their behavior in a professional context

        Oh no, that’s not the point. My point is more along the line of “maybe they are in such conditions where they can’t afford the luxury of giving up potential opportunities to respect dynamics which are on a more abstract level compared to the immediate needs”. Then I would also argue that going there is a huge waste of 600$ and will give 0 chances, but that’s another topic.