Misogyny — Follow The Money
by Miki SaxonPerhaps Susan Fowler’s post about the harassment she endured and Uber’s culture in general is more empowering than some thought it would be.
Especially regarding Silicon Valley’s “untouchables.”
I say that, because another woman, AJ Vandermeyden, just went public, although the lawsuit was filed last fall.
Only this time it’s Tesla and she still works there; not only works, but loves her company.
“Until somebody stands up, nothing is going to change,” she said in a recent interview, her first comments about a discrimination lawsuit she filed last year. “I’m an advocate of Tesla. I really do believe they are doing great things. That said, I can’t turn a blind eye if there’s something fundamentally wrong going on.”
Tesla’s response was hilarious, in as much as it parroted almost word-for-word the Valley mantra.
“As with any company with more than 30,000 employees, it is inevitable that there will be a small number of individuals who make claims against the company, but that does not mean those claims have merit”
Whoo hoo. Doesn’t that just give you a warm, fuzzy, confident feeling of trust?
Things were better for women 30-40 years ago. What happened?
For one thing, at least for tech, video games happened.
But that’s just one reinforcing piece.
The Atlantic took a more comprehensive look at the misogyny so prevalent in tech culture.
Investigators often say that the best way to trace anything is to “follow the money.”
Turns out that applies here, too.
When Silicon Valley was emerging, after World War II, software programming was considered rote and unglamorous, somewhat secretarial—and therefore suitable for women. The glittering future, it was thought, lay in hardware. But once software revealed its potential—and profitability—the guys flooded in and coding became a male realm.
Now look a bit further and think about the industries notorious for their bad treatment of women.
Wall Street/financial services. Law. Doctors. University-level teaching. Architecture. Chefs. Construction and journeyman crafts. I can keep going.
What do they have in common?
Follow the money.
White and blue collar = high pay.
Pink collar = low pay.
Money means freedom. Freedom to choose. Freedom to walk — from a job or from a relationship.
The more money you have the more control you have over your world — whether for good or for evil. So maybe control is the real root cause. Men (some, not all) need to control women, AKA, mom… Poor, insecure, little guys. Trying to change their past by taking revenge on the present and, in doing so, damaging the future. Video credit: Business Insider