https://www.wired.com/story/grace-hopper-celebration-career-fair-men/
"IT WAS MEANT to be a week for women in tech—but this year’s Grace Hopper
Celebration was swamped by men who gate-crashed the event in search of
lucrative tech jobs.
The annual conference and career fair aimed at women and non-binary tech
workers, which takes its name from a pioneering computer scientist, took place
last week in Orlando, Florida. The event bills itself as the largest gathering
of women in tech worldwide and has sought to unite women in the tech industry
for nearly 30 years. Sponsors include Apple, Amazon, and Bloomberg, and it’s a
major networking opportunity for aspiring tech workers. In-person admission
costs between $649 and around $1,300.
This year, droves of men showed up with résumés in hand. AnitaB.org, the
nonprofit that runs the conference, said there was “an increase in
participation of self-identifying males” at this year’s event. The nonprofit
says it believes allyship from men is important and noted it cannot ban men
from attending due to federal nondiscrimination protections in the US.
Organizers expressed frustration. Past iterations of the conference have
“always felt safe and loving and embracing,” said Bo Young Lee, president of
advisory at AnitaB.org, in a LinkedIn post. “And this year, I must admit, I
didn’t feel this way.”
Cullen White, AnitaB.org’s chief impact officer, said in a video posted to X,
formerly Twitter, that some registrants had lied about their gender identity
when signing up, and men were now taking up space and time with recruiters that
should go to women. “All of those are limited resources to which you have no
right,” White said. AnitaB.org did not respond to a request for comment.
Tech jobs, once a fairly safe and lucrative bet, have become more elusive. In
2022 and 2023, tech companies around the world laid off more than 400,000
workers, according to Layoffs.fyi, a site that tracks job losses across the
industry. Tens of thousands of those cuts have come from huge employers like
Meta and Amazon, and some firms have instituted hiring freezes. The layoffs
have been particularly brutal for immigrant workers, who have been left
scrambling for sponsorship in the US after losing work."
Via Violet Blue’s
Cybersecurity Roundup: October 3, 2023
https://www.patreon.com/posts/cybersecurity-3-90238528
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
