Communications of the ACM
Facebook's Sandberg Takes on the Tech Gender Gap
Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg said women, on average account for only 13 percent of information technology departments.
Credit: Women2.com
Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg took aim at the gender gap in the technology industry during a keynote session at the recent Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing in Minneapolis, Minn.
Sandberg noted that women, on average, account for only 13 percent of information technology departments. She said women could boost their numbers in the tech industry by sticking together, supporting each other, and being willing to talk about gender. Women are the best inspiration for other women, Sandberg said. "We need to acknowledge differences, stare them in the face, acknowledge bias, and change it," she argued.
Sandberg also said women in general do not receive the same pay, the same promotions, or the same success and satisfaction at work. She said the technology field, in which women are significantly underrepresented, is no different. "We have made gender an unsafe issue," Sandberg pointed out. "Women don't want to talk about it because they're afraid they'll look like they're whining and creating issues. Men don't want to talk about it because they're afraid they'll get in trouble. If we talk about it, we can deal with it."
From Computerworld
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