The answer to all of these questions are the same uncomfortable truths that people don't wish to admit: * Classism * Racism * Sexism * <other>-ism The prob

The answer to all of these questions are the same uncomfortable truths that people don't wish to admit: * Classism * Racism * Sexism * <other>-ism The problems for the under-represented isn't just the end of the tunnel where people are quick to claim "But <insert minority> is not applying!"... it's the entire tunnel. It's really hard to be a <insert non-cis white male> in tech. Because at every step there is an obstacle. Those obstacles may be in your face (racism when you move to an area that is predominantly something else), or subtle things like you not being able to afford to live in SF because your minority doesn't have the implicit network strength of being the average white male and it's hard for you to find a place to live. The average developer that you may have seen from a minority background has already overcome more obstacles than their peers. But importantly, the vast majority never made it so far. The obstacles reduced their numbers long before. I look around at those who have made it, and the majority are white males from stable middle-class backgrounds. This stability and security, this confidence that a supportive family gives, this safety that a low-crime area brings, access to materials and space in which to learn, this reinforcement at every step that you are surrounded by "people like you" and that you deserve to be there... is such a huge thing that is taken for granted. If you're a white male in tech, consider whether you could have made it to where you are without all of that. Of course there are lots of individual exceptions (I spent 2.5 years sleeping rough and come from a background of poverty and abuse)... but by and large, this is your privilege and it is also why the numbers for <minority> aren't there. For those that do make it... support them and help them. They've had it hard and deserve not just what they've achieved but more too.