Why do we have such a gender imbalance at #fosdem & in tech in general?
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Why do we have such a gender imbalance at #fosdem & in tech in general?
A real conversation.
Marty: Maria, what do you think about ABC?
Peter: I don't want to speak for Maria, but... (keeps talking for a few minutes).
Anna: Thank you for sharing your perspective, Peter, but I would love to hear Maria's perspective.If you observe someone dominating a discussion and answering questions that aren't directed at them, please be an ally and moderate the conversation in a inclusive way🧡
#dei #deib@RosannaSibora And to address gender diversity, I believe we need to constantly work and spread awareness: from how to talk to children, which role-models we hold up, their toys, how we promote STEM in schools, where we look to hire, our workplace dynamics, ensure fair compensation, and so many other things. Many leading developers in the early days of computer science were women, and we don’t talk about that enough.
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@RosannaSibora I’ve found that a direct approach can work too, in a familiar group: “Wait a minute. [smiling] Peter, you just said you don’t want to speak for Maria and then for several minutes you did just that.” Everybody laughs, Peter is slightly embarrassed, somewhat sheepishly apologizes, and we all learn from it. We move on and listen to Maria.
@mikesax Thanks for sharing your perspective, Mike. Personally I prefer to share feedback 1:1. Even if a person made a mistake, they still deserve a safe space for feedback and reflection. In my opinion sharing feedback in a group and creating feeling of embarrassment does not support psychological safety within the group.
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@mikesax Thanks for sharing your perspective, Mike. Personally I prefer to share feedback 1:1. Even if a person made a mistake, they still deserve a safe space for feedback and reflection. In my opinion sharing feedback in a group and creating feeling of embarrassment does not support psychological safety within the group.
@RosannaSibora Yes, I fully agree. Although when someone publicly belittles, I think it’s more important to make it clear to the group that this is not okay. And thanks for pointing that out because yes, there may be other ways to accomplish that.
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@RosannaSibora yeah, I'm also experiencing that quite often in my bubble. Luckily not from narcissists, but like neurodivergent / autistic people. People who don't mean to be rude but who genuinely have a hard time telling if other people would like to talk, too, or how others feel about the conversation. They need direct feedback.
And the feedback part is still difficult for me then as I have trouble interrupting people, I have a feeling of being rude, disagreeable if interrupting others.
@T_X thank you for sharing this excellent example. Diversity has so many shades. Your scenario presents it so well.
I totally understand that interrupting others may feel uncomfortable. This is why facilitation methods, preparation before the meeting/workshop and certain rules, which were communicated beforehand to everyone may be very helpful. Even something as simple as a time-timer could work well. It’s not you interrupting others, but a time-timer when the time it up.
