When Tech Industry Stops Being A Boys’ Club #SecretDeodorantAd

Why is it unfathomable for us to imagine women donning critical roles in the tech industry? Is it because the tech community is sexist? Or, because the community is part of the bigger ecosystem, called society. Society, which has a barrage of dos and don'ts for the women. 


There’s no two-way in the fact that women are still a minority in Technology. Well, you do have names like, Sheryl Sandberg-Facebook COO, Yahoo's Marissa Mayer, Susan Wojcicki, Youtube CEO and handful others. Sadly they are exceptions not the rule. And, frankly I am tired of this token acknowledgment of women’s “increasing” presence in technology. 


Steering a bit from the topic, but what comes to your mind when you think of a deodorant ad?

Probably a man, who woos every single woman in the room, after applying that deodorant. Replace that man, in the ad, with a woman. What could you think now? Most probably the same scenario, but nothing like this. Check out this 30-second ad by Stress deodorant, which calls out on sexism in tech industry, fair and square.


 

“Ash and Emma’s pitch adds two more girls to the boys’ club.”


What is this boys’ club anyway? Are we looking at a locker room banter shaming every possible vulnerable and endless boasting of ego?! 


Microsoft executive, Satya Nadella’s infamous comments “women should not bother to ask for raises” earned him instant boos.  60% of women in Silicon Valley experience harassment. Redundancy sets in when we keep repeating the unchanged fact that women are marginalised in hard core sectors. Sadly we can’t stress, analyse and repeat this fact enough. At SHEROES we have some kickass women coders who are working on their game and acing it day by day.

It’s not about women not wanting to be a part of tech industry. It’s about providing them with equal opportunities a free environment to grow, question, falter and learn.

Check out What It's Like Being a Woman at the Year's Biggest Tech Event. The aberrations are minute and insignificant if seen in isolation. Put together they paint a glum reality. 


The above ad drives home this point. Defending your acts and decisions, pacifying skeptics seems an extension of your job profile. 


Things have changed for good, but too little has happened in a long span of time. We need things to look up not only for a handful of women but a wide range of ladies. Just as every man doesn’t have to be a Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg to be in the field of science and technology.
 

Till then, buckle up ladies, we are on war footing!