Essay on Women Minority in 'Hidden Figures'

Every day people fight for equality in protests while others battle for it in offices by proving their intelligence and value. While there is lots of discussion about gender equality it is still arguably very difficult to change in society. The film, Hidden Figures, directed by Theodore Melfi, and the article “Why Is Silicon Valley So Awful to Women” by Liza Mundy both show examples of technology companies being a gendered institution. Originally, Silicon Valley was a good fit for females because it was secretarial, however, once people realized the profitability that came with technology, quickly turned into a boy’s club. This critical reflection will address how the technology industry is gendered through unconscious bias, conforming and rejecting stereotypes, and the sexual harassment that leads females to leave after getting there.

The technology industry is a gendered institution because it reproduces gender relations between men and women through the gender hierarchy. There is an unconscious bias on how females are treated in the workforce that stems from our gendered society. Society has identified qualities that are deemed to be acceptable or not acceptable to men and women. For example, when a woman is in a leadership position, she needs to be aware of her demeanor because people will think she is being “bossy” rather than assertive. Society and employees tend to be unaccepting and criticize everything one does but even more so for females. Tracy Chou claims that “male coworkers [like] to pop up behind her and find fault with her work,” because of their unconscious bias that women are not as capable as men (Mundy, 2017). Looking for mistakes and double-checking a female’s work is a way for a male to stay in control of their position. It is a competition, but it is also this stereotype that a woman cannot outperform a man. This environment is something many females in the workforce must deal with and consistently; proving to people they are strong and more capable. The perception we have can impede opportunities for women’s advancement shown by Sir Micheal Martz's comments that hiring a female for his company is a hard task because “[the company’s] not prepared to lower [they’re] standards,” (Mundy, 2017). This demonstrates that there is this predisposition that females are not at the same intelligence level as men. This bias shows that female is held to different standards, which gives women going into STEM the viewpoint that they are already at a disadvantage. Another unconscious bias found in the technology industry is that there are foundational views that success in tech comes from being an “innate genius” tendency which is believed to be a male trait (Mundy, 2017). The stereotype for females is that they are born with caregiving because biologically speaking women carry the child. We know that there are debates on the school of thought of nature vs nurture. In this case, there is an assumption that males are born with intellectual talent. Every day people must decide whether they will let these biases control their lives or if they will choose to fight against them and prove people wrong. The article suggests some companies are conducting unconscious bias training or online training modules (Mundy, 2017). Programs and training are more effective when people are inclined and want to participate otherwise it is very difficult to have people admit or voice their biases. Even though these methods seem like genuine measures it is complicated and not easy to alter biases.

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Female in the workplace make daily decisions in their interactions with others. Choosing to accept and move on, or to stand up for themselves; has consequences for her position, particularly in the workplace. Connell’s idea of “emphasized femininity” can be explained as going along to get along (Kimmel & Holler, 2017). A direct example of sexism from the article is a male attendee saying, “You’re hot, no one expects you to do well,” to a female who was waiting to present at a conference (Mundy, 2017). A female’s appearance should not determine her level of knowledge in her field of expertise. An indirect example would be females who are expected to tolerate sexist comments or be tasked to take notes at meetings. Calling out the sexism at work could result in backlash and could make their environment at work considerably worse. Thus, Connell’s theory tells us that females will not speak out to make the circumstances worse. Blount expresses regret in feeling that she should have done more to address the bias that she faced which is no different for younger women entering the tech industry. Although, she says she “didn’t have time to be pissed”, it still speaks to how she needed to portray herself by not talking about gender to help her succeed (Mundy, 2017). Conforming to stereotypes only sets back women from doing amazing things and making vertical moves in industries. In the film Hidden Figures, all three females had to push through the intersectionality of gender and race stereotypes. There are many examples in the film where these women worked to exceed barriers surrounding them in the eyes of men who doubted their minds because they were African American females. Kathrine Johnson is seen by her co-worker, Paul Stafford, as incapable of checking his work. She attempts to put her name on work she was a part of, but Paul always removes it before heading into the conference room. Eventually, not getting the recognition she rightfully deserves, Katherine is done conforming to him and pushes to join the meeting, breaking down the barrier that women should not be in meeting rooms to make important decisions (Melfi, 2017). When she received this temporary position, she knew she had to make a sizable difference to prove she belonged there. All three women did not let others hold them back, instead, they all went above and beyond to change their lives.

Women and minorities are more likely to leave the industry because of the hostile environment that impacts their participation. Gendered stereotypes have caused this hostile work environment for females in technology but also any male-dominated profession. Sexual harassment is the unwanted sexual attention that one suffers in the workplace. Susan Wu refers to the countless times she has “had to move a man’s hand from [her] thigh,” in a skillful manner that rejects him without damaging his ego (Mundy, 2017). Sexual harassment is often used by males to show their power and control in the workplace. This is a core element as to why females and minorities leave the tech industry as they will not conform to these actions. After constant, repetitive harassment, it becomes draining, demoralizing, and not worth the work. Similarly, there is the Quid pro quo sexual harassment which is the idea that trade is offered for unwanted sexual contact for advancement. This idea is that trading sexual demands for job benefits or continued employment is about repulsion (Mundy, 2017). It is about making the worker feel unwelcome and uncomfortable than anything. Conferences in this industry are known as “breeding grounds for unwanted sexual advances and assaults,” however, females cannot avoid these events because they are important for networking (Mundy, 2017). Many feel they have a duty to brush it aside for the success of their company and the harassment may threaten their position at the company. The Elephant in Valley Report statistics in the article report that “60% [of females] had fended off unwanted sexual advances,” indicating that the majority of women are experiencing sex segregation (Mundy, 2017). This statistic also tells us that females and minorities are stuck in positions because they say no to quid pro quo sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is a strategy of dominance to keep women out of the workforce. In most cases, it is fundamentally about power. It takes a lot of willpower for someone to tolerate being victimized, but many are no longer willing to abide by the harassment in the workplace. This gendered division of power and subordination within the tech industry is another example of how it is a gendered institution. Blount now uses her power and influence to speak out along with other women to help companies and industries be better when it comes to sexism and harassment in the workplace.

In conclusion, the tech industry is gendered because it reinforces the gendered divisions and biases towards women. Females and minorities are more likely to leave the industry once they have arrived because of the hostile environment they experience. Along with the environment, the social construction that hiring females and minorities is seen as lowering the corporation’s standards. Females may not even want to join or apply to certain companies because of the reputation they hold. In general, they leave because of multiple levels of undermining and sexism at work. Sociologists consider institutions as contributing to gender normative and express gendered logic which supports the reinforcement of gender social order (Kimmel & Holler, 2017). Sexual harassment is an example of how we bring gender to our interactions and produce them at the same time. Women will continue to push through barriers and make opportunities for themselves.

References

1. Kimmel, M. S., & Holler, J. (2017). The Gendered Society. Oxford University Press Canada.
2. Melfi, T. (Director). (2017). Hidden Figures [Motion Picture].
3. Mundy, L. (2017, April). Why Is Silicon Valley So Awful to Women? Retrieved from The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/04/why-is-silicon-valley-so-awful-to-women/517788/