WiCipedia: Supergirls, No More Excuses & Media Monitoring

One way to defeat bro culture and make the workplace better for women is simply to hire more women. It seems so basic, yet this is tech's Achilles' heel; the industry just can't figure it out. YouTube Inc. CEO Susan Wojcicki recently wrote an essay in Vanity Fair about tech's recent sexism and harassment claims, and stated that though she was angered by the accusations of unfair treatment, she was also mad that Silicon Valley can't seem to just get it together. "I was also frustrated that an industry so quick to embrace and change the future can't break free of its regrettable past ... Employing more women at all levels of a company, from new hires to senior leaders, creates a virtuous cycle. Companies become more attuned to the needs of their female employees, improving workplace culture while lowering attrition. They escape a cycle of men mostly hiring men. And study after study has shown that greater diversity leads to better outcomes, more innovative solutions, less groupthink, better stock performance and G.D.P. growth," Wojcicki wrote. (See Silicon Valley Writer Foresees End of Bro Culture.)

The media plays a big part in how we view gender roles, for kids who aren't even able to read yet to C-suite powerhouses. And needless to say, the media is not always fair. A new tool from the Association of National Advertisers' Alliance for Family Entertainment (ANA AFE), a collective of the nation's largest advertisers, is hoping to eliminate gender bias in advertising. To do this, it will use GEM, a "module [that] measures ads and programming to help marketers improve planning choices and ROI," Business Wire says. "GEM measures perceptions of how female actors are portrayed in the media by asking consumers four key questions: What is the overall opinion of the female presented? Is she portrayed respectfully? Is she depicted inappropriately? [and] Is she seen as a positive role model for women and girls?" This undertaking is part of the #SeeHer campaign in consortium with The Female Quotient (TFQ), which aims to empower women and girls in the workplace. Shelley Zalis, #SeeHer co-founder and founder and CEO of TFQ, explains that women aren't the problem; the way media portrays women is the problem. (See Why Being a Person in Tech Comes First and Tech Leaders: Gender Diversity Could Add Billions to Economy.)

Motorola Solutions Inc. (NYSE: MSI) held a series of events for women in engineering recently for International Women's Day, and it's continuing its commitment to diversity with several new initiatives. A news release this week announces that along with generous education grants, Motorola Solutions' global Women's Business Council focuses on creating women-centric programs around the world. Its research and development center in Penang, Malaysia already employs 40% female engineers, far outpacing the rate of female engineers in major North American companies. Claudia Rodriguez, corporate vice president of devices at Motorola Solutions, says, "The objective of the global Women's Business Council at Motorola Solutions is to create an inclusive, flexible culture to connect and empower female employees to grow, maximising their results for positive impact to the business. We also work in the community to promote STEM education among female students globally." (See Happy Women's Day: How Are You Being Bold for Change?)

Tired of hearing excuses about why tech companies still aren't hiring women? So are we. Utah Business ran an article this week about this topic exactly, and while it's geared towards Utah companies, we think it's more of a broad-spectrum application. "One of the things that breaks my heart is to hear executives at the company say that they can't find talent, but for me to know that there are dozens of women execs looking for opportunities. That doesn't match up ... I don't believe the talent pool argument," says Sara Jones, COO of Women Tech Council. Jones advises being open and flexible when hiring new candidates by not creating make-or-break requirements such as certain degrees, and eliminating toxic environments that cater to men but not to the needs of women (helloooo ping pong table!). Her biggest tip of all? "Don't expect the problem to fix itself." (See WiCipedia: Eradicating Pay Gaps & Squashing Bro Culture and WiC: Beware the Glass Wall.)

— Eryn Leavens, Special Features & Copy Editor, Light Reading