Reading the article, "Exposing Hidden Bias at Google" by Farhad Manjoo, has gifted me with a different perspective of gender roles in our modern day society. Women, just like men, are born with the same intellectual capacity to be successful and any limitations setting a woman for failure would be a grave, unjust violation to them. As noted in this article, the general figures in society currently judge and make partially bias decisions without the true intent to harm. Yet, our society will always find a way to bring this bias into reality because of the past conceived assumptions regarding gender and race. Still, the subjugation of women is still a pressing topic everyone must attempt to resolve. Google has tried to repent for their mistakes by holding workshops that introduce aspects of a more gender and racially diverse workplace. I believe this is a beneficial step that our society is taking towards a partial, equal environment for everybody but it is only the beginning.
Statistics in this article written by Manjoo have vividly depicted an uneven representation of both gender and race. This is undeniably true but what factors truly lead to this bane? Do women lack such roles due to nonjudicial opportunities or because of their shortcomings in the standards necessary? I consider this to be attributed to women's roles in the past and their transition to our society today. Not too long ago, women had a lesser role in our society. The transition to an era where women have high positions in our country have not been yet implemented to its fullest. Due to this, women don't always have the mindset to strive for the top positions in companies because of the intimidation companies with mostly men ensue. So, women should be able to aim for success without the fear of being evaluated because of their gender.
Most tech companies have a higher ratio of men to women in the workforce and this can also be associated with a matter of career choice. Typically, men may seek positions in tech companies purely out of a greater interest. The conformity of the high male representation in this industry is also a deciding factor for career choice of both genders. The lower percentage of women in these companies may make women generally feel out of place. However, if women desire to do this field of work, they should never be denied the right to do so. One must be judged on their actions and decisions and not by appearance, race, or gender.
The concept of unconscious bias towards women can also affect how young minds think. They must know that it is not a just aspect in our current world and that change is essential. With attempts such as Google and tech corporations are making, the essence of equal opportunity for everyone might be reached sooner.
I have to say Orion, you've trumped me and I can't find words to disagree with you. I agree with everything here, but I must add that while each person should be considered equally when it comes to hiring, a person's ability should also be considered. At the cost of diversity, a job well done by a single gender and ethnicity is better than the same job done slightly worse by a varied group of genders and ethnicities. As demonstrated by Google, who is dominated by white males, yet is used worldwide daily and often. If they are doing a great job with a dominant gender and ethnicity, should that integrity be interrupted by a different group that is equal or slightly worse than the former?
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ReplyDeleteYour thoughts on this matter are elegantly put. I agree with you on your point that due to the very recent change in our society for woman's rights, that there are still many women out there with the subordinate mindset. They do not actually try for different male dominated jobs. However, I must disagree on your point that the women that do actually try for these jobs are getting discriminated against and that is why there are fewer women in these fields. I personally believe these two ideas contradict each other because the reason for there being a minority of women is because they aren't aiming for these careers.
DeleteCan't both reasons exist at the same time in different women?
DeleteI fully agree with your positions and enjoyed reading your wonderfully well-put statements! Also, while writing my own response, I had never even considered how the issue would affect "young minds." That was an excellent argument to point out that younger generations must be made aware of why such prejudice is unjust and not to be tolerated, especially not in the modern day and age.
ReplyDeleteYes indeed Ghost, i agree that we as humans haven't made that shift, were woman are treated the same, and i also agree that maybe the career choice comes into play, but i feel that woman are being judged not by their gender but rather by their credentials they posses. victor is right their is nothing really to disagree on this.
ReplyDeleteVery well-written and logical post.
ReplyDeleteOne reason that women may not strive for these positions is definitely child-bearing. The system is not set-up to support women having children and having high-powered jobs and therefore many either leave competitive jobs after having children or do not choose them in the first place? Is there a way that we could change the system to support women who choose to have families?
In the first paragraph, I agree with the line: "Yet, our society will always find a way to bring this bias into reality because of the past conceived assumptions regarding gender and race." because you are completely right when you say people will always bring in bias. Society these days have obviously changed throughout time, but people will always be biased towards something. Humans aren't perfect and I don't believe we ever will be, but it think we have to adapt to this flaw.
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