The recent Fast Company article Where are all the lady geeks? proposes to solve the dearth of women coders at hackaton-type events by “bringing the sexy.”
Oh my. There are a number of misguided and, in some cases, offensive aspects to this article.
First, it’s inappropriate and unprofessional to use “pimpin” in the context of the article. (In case you didn’t notice the url slug is “geek-pimpin-10-geeks-who-are-bringing-sexy-back). My guess is that the url represents either the original title of the article, or a subtitle that wasn’t used. In any case, it’s totally inappropriate. As a woman, I generally don’t want to be involved in an event where anyone (of any gender) is is pimped. Given that the context of its use is clearly sexual, the use of “pimpin” is even more out of line.
Second, not all women are sexually interested in men. And not all men are sexually interested in women. The hetero-normative nature of the article’s advice is alienating to the rest of us queers (of which there are a lot in technology).
Third, even if the language were queer-friendly, hackathon-type events are not appropriate places to promote hook-ups in the first place. Advertising them as such will dissuade most, if not all of the female attendees that the author says he hopes to attract. And many men as well.
Forth, the use of geek stereotypes is just a lazy conceit, if not mildly offensive.
Clearly the author (and Fast Company editors, since they chose to publish this) need a primer on how to actually make hackathons and other events aimed at coders more attractive to women.
Create a Safe, Comfortable Environment for All
Once important step in creating a safe, comfortable environment for all is to de-emphasize the sexy. Women are bombarded with messages of our sexual objectification. And you know what? It gets really old. Most women coders I know don’t go to hacker events in order to find a mate or a hook-up. And, in fact, they will actively avoid situations where they might be hit upon or where the environment may otherwise be sexually charged. I know many men are uncomfortable under these circumstances as well.
Hacker events are not about hooking up and event organizers should do everything they can to avoid giving that impression.
Moreover, organizers should adopt a code of conduct and make sure that all participants (including organizers, sponsors and volunteers) know that they are expected to abide by it.
Offer Childcare and/or Make Space for Families
While it’s getting better, the burden of childcare and rearing still falls largely upon women. Hacker events that take place on weekends and evenings can cut in to family obligations. To attract more moms (and dads) to your event, find a way to offer childcare to your participants, or make your event family-friendly so that parents feel comfortable bringing their kids.
Serve Decent Food and be Mindful About Providing Alcohol
While a gross generalization, It’s been my experience that pizza and beer is a lot more appetizing to a group of guys than it is to a group of women. So, when planning your event, try to have some decent, healthful food and beverages available. Make sure there is ample water and other are non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated and non-sugary items to drink. Also carefully consider your decision to make alcohol available and under what conditions (this goes back to above idea of creating a safe, comfortable environment).
Make the Schedule Flexible
Having a hackathon run all night is a cool idea. Lots of coders are night-owls and love the opportunity to work with others into the wee hours. However, to make your hackathon appealing to the widest audience, schedule meaningful parts of your event throughout the day as well. Not every coder likes to work late at night (I’m one of those rarer morning folk) and many with families can’t be out all evening and into the night.
De-emphasize Competition and Emphasize Collaboration
While I can understand the idea behind using competition to motivate participation at a hackathon, I think it has the potential to do more harm that good. There are creative ways to motivate through collaboration and you don’t run the risk of alienating new comers and those who are turned off by highly competitive and hazing-like environments.
Provide Structure and Welcome Newcomers
Not every coder does well with an unstructured hackathon. Having a whiteboard in a central place with a list of project ideas and even a basic schedule can go a long way to making those new to hackathons feel more comfortable. Also consider having a volunteer work as a greeter welcome new faces and help them get settled.
Have other tips? Let me know in the comments.
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Just thought I should throw in a comment since I’m a woman and recently organized Science Hack Day in San Francisco. 33% of those who attended (approx. 100) were female. Of both male and female, 33% were developers, 20% were scientists, 20% were designers and the rest were a mixed bag of everything from roboticists to marketers.
I think the key to having a diverse hack event is the same as the key to simply creating a good hack event. Make the effort to reach out to awesome people you know and know of, invite them, and take the time to have a conversation with them about where their interests lie. That way you can begin connecting/introducing people with each other before the event begins. This helps raise everyone’s comfort level when they arrive at the event, because they now already have a network of people to branch out from. Being an organizer of a hack event, so much of your work should be focused on how to set everyone up for success, from social dynamics to building a great hack.
When it comes to conference panels, etc., I’m typically someone who cares more about having the appropriate awesome people than for gender balance (though, for note, I have organized a couple panels where women happened to outnumber men). For Hack Days, I think it’s a little more important to strive for gender balance because they typically involve sleeping over in the venue which can make anyone feel a little awkward if they feel like a significant minority.
And for note, on your collaborative vs. competitive stance, I somewhat disagree – only because I don’t believe it’s an either-or choice. Competition is often a great motivator for people to come together and collaborate. I think offering prizes for “best hacks” is a lightweight enough competition model. People *typically* don’t attend hack events to win, they attend to make and talk about awesome ideas and prototypes.