On gender discrimination within tech circles, the internet search giant, Google, found itself standing in the dock when one of its employees justified the disproportionate number of women staff in the information technology IT sector with what he called, ‘biological differences’ with men. In the details, an IT engineer, who preferred to stay anonymous, disclosed in a treatise that employment choices and qualifications between the two sexes vary on biological grounds, and these disparities may explain the absence of proportionate representation of women in technology and executive positions. The unnamed engineer clarified that men’s natural capacities qualify them to outshine women in computer programming, noting that females boast greater tendency to sentiments and aesthetics than to ideas, meaning they favor jobs in social and artistic areas. The US media described the engineer’s notes as ‘extremely discriminatory’ resurfacing the debate over the culture of gender-based discrimination, harassments and lack of gender diversity in the male-dominated technology circles. In response to the leaked document, Google’s VP of diversity, integrity and governance, Danielle Brown, said in an electronic address to the employees, that she did not support the said view and neither does “the company endorse, promote or encourage it.” Gender stereotypes are inappropriate, she noted, stressing that diversity and inclusion are a fundamental part of Google’s values and culture. For his part, the company’s chief engineer, Ari Balogh, condemned what he termed as harmful stereotypes. (An Nahar, August 8, 2017)
