4 ms·

If only it were that easy.... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15009759 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15009759

by slindz 9y ago

HillaryBriss 9y ago
i still think it is that easy if the top priority truly is a workforce that resembles the general population if i tell you i have 10 billion dollars and a giant greenhouse and i'm going to fill that greenhouse with orchids that represent the diversity of planet earth's orchid population, and five years later, you look around the greenhouse and notice it's 68 percent Vanilla planifolia, wouldn't it be fair to question my commitment to fairly representing the diversity of the planet's orchid population? i must have other priorities. how else could i fail so miserably?
- slindz 9y ago
  Is the greenhouse infinite in size? (ie. the economy) Are flowers grown the primary metric of success? (ie. revenue generated) Do the non-Vanilla plainfolia seeds on-average prefer different growing conditions than the existing greenhouse conditions? (ie. working with people instead of staring at a debugger for hours on end) Are the Vanilla plainfolia seeds much easier to find (ie. students graduated from college at an 80%+ clip) Is the competition for non-Vanilla plainfolia seeds fierce (ie. many companies have diversity programs) ---- The productive suggestions surrounding diversity interests focus on increasing the pipeline of seed varieties making it to the greenhouse and adjusting the growing conditions as the way forward. Arbitrarily throwing out as many seeds as you need to reach a 50/50 split today ignores non-negotiable market realities. One of your competitors will use what's leftover to grow more flowers than you with the aim of shutting down your wing of the greenhouse. Let's focus on discovering where we can find more seeds instead of discarding the ones that we already have.
kasia_kandefer 9y ago
For sure the problem is far more complex. As recruiters we can take some steps to make women in tech more welcome and reduce at least some of the barriers that are there in recruiting process. Still, a lot has to be done on a much earlier stage - that's why I totally agree with Vidya that "To solve diversity, we must start at the source of the problem — encouraging women to pursue engineering in college!". That's why I'm so glad that such initiatives as https://girlswhocode.com/ https://girlswhocode.com/ as in a long run they will make the difference.

If only it were that easy.... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15009759 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15009759

by slindz 9y ago

If only it were that easy.... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15009759 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15009759

HillaryBriss 9y ago

i still think it is that easy if the top priority truly is a workforce that resembles the general population if i tell you i have 10 billion dollars and a giant greenhouse and i'm going to fill that greenhouse with orchids that represent the diversity of planet earth's orchid population, and five years later, you look around the greenhouse and notice it's 68 percent Vanilla planifolia, wouldn't it be fair to question my commitment to fairly representing the diversity of the planet's orchid population? i must have other priorities. how else could i fail so miserably?

slindz 9y ago
Is the greenhouse infinite in size? (ie. the economy) Are flowers grown the primary metric of success? (ie. revenue generated) Do the non-Vanilla plainfolia seeds on-average prefer different growing conditions than the existing greenhouse conditions? (ie. working with people instead of staring at a debugger for hours on end) Are the Vanilla plainfolia seeds much easier to find (ie. students graduated from college at an 80%+ clip) Is the competition for non-Vanilla plainfolia seeds fierce (ie. many companies have diversity programs) ---- The productive suggestions surrounding diversity interests focus on increasing the pipeline of seed varieties making it to the greenhouse and adjusting the growing conditions as the way forward. Arbitrarily throwing out as many seeds as you need to reach a 50/50 split today ignores non-negotiable market realities. One of your competitors will use what's leftover to grow more flowers than you with the aim of shutting down your wing of the greenhouse. Let's focus on discovering where we can find more seeds instead of discarding the ones that we already have.

kasia_kandefer 9y ago

For sure the problem is far more complex. As recruiters we can take some steps to make women in tech more welcome and reduce at least some of the barriers that are there in recruiting process. Still, a lot has to be done on a much earlier stage - that's why I totally agree with Vidya that "To solve diversity, we must start at the source of the problem — encouraging women to pursue engineering in college!". That's why I'm so glad that such initiatives as https://girlswhocode.com/ https://girlswhocode.com/ as in a long run they will make the difference.