We Surveyed 634 Women Who Work in Tech. They Let Loose

A survey of 634 women working in technology revealed a grim picture of the workplace environment. The women shared numerous instances of being disrespected, dismissed, and discriminated against due to their gender. One woman reported colleagues speaking down to her and treating her as if she were unintelligent, despite her 30 years of experience in her field.

Male clients even dismissed her authority and mockingly assumed she was a secretary or dispatcher when they learned she was the CEO. Another woman faced accusations of sexual favors and being told she was not capable of performing her job. Women also reported being pressured to conform to aggressive, masculine behavior, having male bosses ask them to perform demeaning tasks, and being subjected to sexual harassment by male supervisors.

Pay disparities, lack of promotion opportunities, and being talked over in meetings were common complaints. The survey showed that more than a third of the women had experienced gender-based harassment or bias at work. Despite some satisfaction with their careers, the vast majority of women reported feeling disillusioned and disgusted by their leaders, many of whom they accused of being awful people.

The rise of AI has only exacerbated these issues, with women feeling they are forced to clean up the mess created by men in the field. The poor job market and the feeling of being trapped has made women reluctant to speak up about their experiences. The survey suggests that the current tech culture is in dire need of change, but with hypermasculine leaders continuing to dominate the field, there is little hope for a better future.