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Whereas the West sees male domination in tech as a problem and intervenes, China caters. Which approach will end up being more productive? Does it matter?

acct1771 8y ago
How could it not?
wpietri 8y ago
The rising labor force participation of women has been a major factor in total productivity growth. If we had continued to pursue male domination, for example, we'd have a lot fewer doctors. (Or a lot fewer of something else valuable.) And there's still a lot more to be gained. There is also the fact that women are people, of course, and don't deserve to be "dominated" any more than anybody else does.
- pravda 8y ago
  >The rising labor force participation of women has been a major factor in total productivity growth. Source? Doubling the labor force has certainly been great for keeping wages down. Good for corporations, not so good for workers.
  - SomewhatLikely 8y ago
    Likely good for the women workers who otherwise wouldn't have pursued that career path though.
  - wpietri 8y ago
    This is classic Lump of Labor fallacy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lump_of_labour_fallacy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lump_of_labour_fallacy The amount of work to do is not fixed. More people working (and at higher levels of value, also a feminist goal) means more value created for us to share in. As to the societal benefits, there's a lot out there on it. You can search The Economist for "women labor force participation" for literally decades of articles on the benefits of it. But specifically for societal economic growth, here's one study of many: https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/sdn/2013/sdn1310.pdf https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/sdn/2013/sdn1310.pdf
coralreef 8y ago
Is productivity worth more than sense of morals?
- taneq 8y ago
  What, particularly, is immoral about a workplace making an effort to ease the stress and maybe loneliness of their engineers?
  - dredmorbius 8y ago
    What's the corresponding result on, say, women, principally tasked with or tacitly expected to fill such roles? Apply role-reversal or the Veil of Ignorance.
    - taneq 8y ago
      It doesn't sound like women are being unilaterally tasked with, or tacitly imposed upon, to fill these roles. As I read the article, the companies are openly advertising for women and women are applying. If roles were reversed, most of my colleagues were female, and they got in a couple of hot guys to listen attentively, give massages and generally raise morale, nobody would blink an eye. Hell, if you told me I could spend all day talking with the ladies instead of doing actual work then I might consider it.

acct1771 8y ago

How could it not?

wpietri 8y ago

The rising labor force participation of women has been a major factor in total productivity growth. If we had continued to pursue male domination, for example, we'd have a lot fewer doctors. (Or a lot fewer of something else valuable.) And there's still a lot more to be gained. There is also the fact that women are people, of course, and don't deserve to be "dominated" any more than anybody else does.

pravda 8y ago
>The rising labor force participation of women has been a major factor in total productivity growth. Source? Doubling the labor force has certainly been great for keeping wages down. Good for corporations, not so good for workers.
- SomewhatLikely 8y ago
  Likely good for the women workers who otherwise wouldn't have pursued that career path though.
- wpietri 8y ago
  This is classic Lump of Labor fallacy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lump_of_labour_fallacy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lump_of_labour_fallacy The amount of work to do is not fixed. More people working (and at higher levels of value, also a feminist goal) means more value created for us to share in. As to the societal benefits, there's a lot out there on it. You can search The Economist for "women labor force participation" for literally decades of articles on the benefits of it. But specifically for societal economic growth, here's one study of many: https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/sdn/2013/sdn1310.pdf https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/sdn/2013/sdn1310.pdf

coralreef 8y ago

Is productivity worth more than sense of morals?

taneq 8y ago
What, particularly, is immoral about a workplace making an effort to ease the stress and maybe loneliness of their engineers?
- dredmorbius 8y ago
  What's the corresponding result on, say, women, principally tasked with or tacitly expected to fill such roles? Apply role-reversal or the Veil of Ignorance.
  - taneq 8y ago
    It doesn't sound like women are being unilaterally tasked with, or tacitly imposed upon, to fill these roles. As I read the article, the companies are openly advertising for women and women are applying. If roles were reversed, most of my colleagues were female, and they got in a couple of hot guys to listen attentively, give massages and generally raise morale, nobody would blink an eye. Hell, if you told me I could spend all day talking with the ladies instead of doing actual work then I might consider it.