#iLookLikeAnEngineer highlights problems and progress in tech diversity
A female platform engineer at a San Francisco-based IT company joins the fight against stereotypes in the tech industry.
A female platform engineer at a San Francisco-based IT company joins the fight against stereotypes in the tech industry.
A female engineer is taking a stand against bias in the tech industry.
After her photo for her company鈥檚 recruitment campaign drew sexist comments online, Isis Wenger, a platform engineer for San Francisco-based IT firm OneLogin, has launched an effort to fight stereotypes around how people in the tech industry are expected to look. The hashtag #iLookLikeAnEngineer has since become an outlet to showcase engineers鈥 varying genders, colors, and ages 鈥 and has drawn renewed attention to the conversation about diversity in technology.
鈥#iLookLikeAnEngineer is intentionally not gender-specific,鈥 Ms. Wenger told TechCrunch. 鈥淓xternal appearances and the number of X chromosomes a person has is hardly a measure of engineering ability. My goal is to help redefine 鈥榳hat an engineer should look like鈥 because I think that is a step towards eliminating sub-conscious bias towards diversity in tech.鈥
Wenger was one of five people asked to participate in a set of ads featuring OneLogin employees聽that went up around San Francisco. While some of the responses to Wenger's photo in particular were positive, Wenger and her company noted that other reactions epitomized existing biases in the industry.
鈥淭his is some weird haphazard branding,鈥 one Facebook user wrote. 鈥淚 think they want to appeal to women, but are probably just appealing to dudes. I鈥檓 curious [if] ... women in particular buy this image of what a female engineer looks like.鈥
Another added, 鈥淚f their intention is to attract more women then it would have been better to choose a picture with a warm, friendly smile rather than a sexy smirk.鈥
In a blog post for Medium, Wenger responded:
The tech industry has faced growing calls to increase diversity in the workplace. Companies such as Google, Apple, and Facebook, having acknowledged that their employees are mostly white and male, have pledged to do better.
鈥淪ilicon Valley is perhaps the world鈥檚 leading crucible of innovation,鈥 海角大神 reported in May.
High-profile lawsuits filed by women in top tech companies have also highlighted bias issues in the work environment.
But as much as Wenger鈥檚 case highlights industry problems, it also showcases progress. #iLookLikeAnEngineer has led users to post their own photos in an effort to exhibit the many faces of the tech workforce.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want or ask for any of this attention, but if I can use this to put a spotlight on gender issues in tech, I consider that to be at least one win,鈥 Wenger wrote.