To all women working in tech

…and those that want to.

In 2017 we witnessed a controversy over the so called “Google manifesto” written by James Damore, now a former Google developer. I took me some time to think over the situation when it first came out, and to be honest, I still don’t fully know how I feel about it.

The main idea of the manifesto was that women are unsuited to tech jobs due to their biological bias. I do not want to go into discussing this piece in particular. I have my thoughts on it, but they are not important here. They did, however, made me write this post.

I’m one of the women in tech and I am proud of it.

I am the bridge between the logical/analytical and purely artistic/emotional parts of our development. I’m strong when it comes to people, psychology, teaching, leading… I may be in tech, but my work focuses on people.

This guy could be right about me. I’ll probably never be a coder, but I do not believe that this is due to me having boobs or a vagina, but due to my love for other parts of tech.

I consider myself a feminist, but not one that believes women should be equal to men. Water does not want to be the same as Sun. She is different and she is bloody strong when she chooses to be. She can give life, but she can also take it. Like the Sun. Just differently.

Equality does not mean a copy. It means the same opportunities and resources regardless the gender. It means valuing the differences in behavior and aspirations. It means recognition. And it means participation in decision making.

I have been in a situation where I felt less purely because I was a woman. It was expected of me to be subordinate, to obey, and to accept the unacceptable behavior from a man. I was supposed to suck it up and get over it. 

But that is never going to be me. As an only daughter of a single mother, I am taught to push back. I am strong and choose the hard way. I always choose what I think is the right way, I rarely go for the easy one. And I am proud of that.

So, to you dear woman,

You are different and that is okay.

Be strong.

Be fearless.

Watch the movie Hidden figures. And then watch it again. If they could do it. We sure can!

We can live our dreams every single day. It might not be easy, but the industry is changing. One little step at a time. It’s up to us to determine how fast this happens. 

The sad truth is that the number of women in tech is declining. Women should stick together and help each other. But they don’t! How many times have I seen them going against one another, and just look at these high school girls that are so damn mean to each other. Are we really surprised when that happens at work also?!

I am lucky. I’ve been at Cliqz for almost 3 years now and have worked with people from Mozilla, Ghostery, and MyOffrz. All of them made me feel like I belong there. All supported my growth and listened to my ideas. I am grateful for that and I can tell you from my own experience that it’s possible. It’s here.

Be picky when you’re choosing where you want to work. If you can, be picky. If not, make damn sure that you learn and grow every single day, that you’ll be able to choose it one day.

I hope that one day, you will:

• complain over long lines at the toilet at work
• not get a surprised look when you tell people what you do
• not be seen as aggressive when asking for a raise
• never hear words: suck it up, ease up, chill, deal with it…
• have an equal pay without asking for it
• be lucky like me and will work with amazing people
• never lose your passion and light

I believe in you!
Pia