[Linux-aus] How can we address gender imbalance in LA/AU-FLOSS? (Was: An Open Letter to the Open Source Community)

[Andrae Muys]

On 24/05/2007, at 1:05 PM, Robyn M wrote:
> What is the ratio of men in FOSS comapred to men in wider ICT? Is this
> the same ration with women?

That's actually a really hard question to answer.  The EU paper  
Melissa pointed to reported 1.5% female participation in FOSS, and I  
see no reason to doubt that number.

The ABS reports the 2004 ICT participation rate as 18%.
The Victorian Govt reports only 19.7% of 2005 successful ICT job  
applications were female.

On the face of it this is an appalling situation.  There is however  
one complication, and that is the occupational demographics of the  
two communities are not directly comparable.  The Victorian numbers  
(and by inference I assume the ABS figures) include a large number of  
non-technical roles that have little or no counterpart in the FOSS  
community.  These roles include a large number of Sales, Marketing,  
Administration, Training, and Management Support roles that have  
traditionally had much higher female participation rates.  Including  
these roles is likely to have inflated the wider ICT participation  
rates reported.

On the gripping hand I find it impossible to believe that the effect  
would be the full order of magnitude reported above - so even  
allowing for the above we cannot deny there is a troubling lack of  
female participation in the FOSS community.

We are a community that prides itself on being a meritocracy; that  
avails itself of communication mediums that should allow us to avoid  
even unconscious discrimination.  Yet we have this situation where  
women are almost unrepresented in FOSS.  It is important that we ask  
ourselves why?

I suspect a part of the problem has been amply demonstrated in this  
thread.

Melissa's post was polite, measured, well reasoned, and restrained.   
She wrote:
   As a Woman and an Open Source contributor, I implore you. Do not make
   jokes about us, just because we are female. Do not belittle,  
stereotype
   or patronise us, based on our gender. Do not assume that we are using
   Open Source so that you can ask us questions of private nature, or  
out
   on a date. Most importantly, do not stand by and watch as other  
people
   do these things.
Will anyone claim this is an unreasonable request?

In September I will have been an active participant in the FOSS  
community for 12 years.  In my personal experience the communities  
treatment of women has deteriorated in that time.  I am ashamed to  
admit that I have not always stood up and defended women subjected to  
this sort of treatment.  In failing to demand better, I have been a  
part of the problem. I apologise.

As Elspeth noted in her post:
   I have been at the pointy end of many undesirable
   behaviours. And every time they have occured, I've stood up for  
myself
   and set boundaries. This, however, doesn't help (and in fact makes me
   into a big red target) if I am alone.

In demanding that women stand up for themselves, we do demand they  
make themselves targets for further (and heightened) abuse.  Why  
should someone targeted for this sort of abuse be forced to expose  
themselves even further?  They have a right to expect, not just  
'support', but defense.

The paper Melissa linked to in her post included in its recommendations:
   ...
   Sometimes male members do vocally support women in their
   attempts to counter sexist talk and the constant stream of
   sexual attention, either by becoming involved in online
   exchanges or helping to explain to other men appropriate
   ways to react to women’s presence.  Such support, however,
   would be far more credible and effective if it were to come
   from well-known people in leadership roles. With so few
   women this support is necessary, as lone voices are easily
   dismissed as over-sensitive or censorious.
   ...

I have to agree that there is a need for influential leaders in our  
community to refuse to remain silent when they witness the sort of  
behaviour described in Melissa's post.  I believe that Linux  
Australia is the perfect forum in which to discuss this.  That LA  
should use its influence, both formal and informal to encourage FOSS  
members - especially our leaders - to be intolerant of this  
behaviour.  And I believe that LA needs to be involved, possibly even  
initiate, efforts to understand the causes behind the participation  
gap both in FOSS and in the wider ICT industry.

Andrae Muys

-- 
Andrae Muys
andrae at netymon.com
Principal Mulgara Consultant
Netymon Pty Ltd