4 ms·

If you were to only recruit from single gender schools then I personally would have an issue with it, same as this issue. However, if you are recruiting from ma

If you were to only recruit from single gender schools then I personally would have an issue with it, same as this issue. However, if you are recruiting from many universities and some happen to be single gender, that is not discriminating.

eappleby 8y ago
What if the companies that were placing job ads on Facebook were also placing job ads on other platforms that weren't targeted to men only? Playing devils advocate here...
- lovich 8y ago
  Well if Facebook wasn't a large portion of the online advertising market then there might be an argument. When you try to become a monopoly you get extra responsibilities as you gain market share
- bduerst 8y ago
  I think the previous question was about the institution. In this case, Facebook has people of all genders, not just one. It only be an apt analogy to the Universities if Facebook were some single-gender social network. Or if an all-gender University let you only recruit one gender.
- ubernostrum 8y ago
  The devil probably has enough advocates at this point and doesn't need your contribution. But in general, there are classes of ads that you just can't target based on certain classes, period. Even if you hypothetically might have the ability to target a counterbalancing ad somewhere else. Facebook repeatedly has been in hot water over this, and both they and the people using their ad platform to do this stuff need to get more than a slap on the wrist, in order to deter others from trying the same in the future.
ramblerouser 8y ago
Does "have an issue with it" mean "put people in jail for it"? Because thats what it sounds like you're getting at.
- obmelvin 8y ago
  Where in the world did you get that from? I never said anything of the sort. I literally take issue with it, as in I don't think it is right. I said nothing about the implications and I certainly don't think someone should be jailed for poor recruiting practices.
  - ramblerouser 8y ago
    Making something illegal means putting people in jail directly or if they refuse to cooperate. In many countries this is what happens to people with what you would consider poor recruiting practices. It's usually called something like discrimination against a protected class. Many people in power today consider your rejection of jailtime for poor recruiting practices a sexist position.
Darmani 8y ago
Duolingo has a policy of only recruiting from schools that have an above-average percent of women in their CS program. How do you feel about that?
- jmknoll 8y ago
  I can kind of see what they're getting at. Women are under-represented in the tech industry. I don't think many people would disagree with that. But this feels like a blunt instrument for a highly-nuanced issue. If diversity of experience is a core value at Duolingo, why not recruit everywhere and tailor the interviewing process to favor candidates from non-traditional backgrounds? While they've achieved an important milestone, I'd be very worried about the line of thinking that led to this decision if I were a Duolingo investor. All the diversity in the world doesn't mean much if they can't find a way to keep the lights on.
- eridius 8y ago
  Wow I have a lot more respect for Duolingo now. That's great!
  - gdfasfklshg4 8y ago
    May I ask why this increases your respect for them?
  - rmdashrfroot 8y ago
    Why does promoting special treatment rather than fairness increase your respect for them?
    - eridius 8y ago
      What's fair about perpetuating the systematic discrimination that women in tech face? And in what way is this special treatment? Companies use a variety of different metrics by which to determine which schools they should recruit from. "We want to increase our diversity" is a reasonable metric to use, and "recruit from colleges with an above-average percentage of people in a minority group we've chosen to view as important" is a reasonable way to accomplish that. I shouldn't have to point this out, but diversity is more than just a buzzword. Increasing diversity on the development side improves the final product, for a variety of reasons.

eappleby 8y ago

What if the companies that were placing job ads on Facebook were also placing job ads on other platforms that weren't targeted to men only? Playing devils advocate here...

lovich 8y ago
Well if Facebook wasn't a large portion of the online advertising market then there might be an argument. When you try to become a monopoly you get extra responsibilities as you gain market share
bduerst 8y ago
I think the previous question was about the institution. In this case, Facebook has people of all genders, not just one. It only be an apt analogy to the Universities if Facebook were some single-gender social network. Or if an all-gender University let you only recruit one gender.
ubernostrum 8y ago
The devil probably has enough advocates at this point and doesn't need your contribution. But in general, there are classes of ads that you just can't target based on certain classes, period. Even if you hypothetically might have the ability to target a counterbalancing ad somewhere else. Facebook repeatedly has been in hot water over this, and both they and the people using their ad platform to do this stuff need to get more than a slap on the wrist, in order to deter others from trying the same in the future.

ramblerouser 8y ago

Does "have an issue with it" mean "put people in jail for it"? Because thats what it sounds like you're getting at.

obmelvin 8y ago
Where in the world did you get that from? I never said anything of the sort. I literally take issue with it, as in I don't think it is right. I said nothing about the implications and I certainly don't think someone should be jailed for poor recruiting practices.
- ramblerouser 8y ago
  Making something illegal means putting people in jail directly or if they refuse to cooperate. In many countries this is what happens to people with what you would consider poor recruiting practices. It's usually called something like discrimination against a protected class. Many people in power today consider your rejection of jailtime for poor recruiting practices a sexist position.

Darmani 8y ago

Duolingo has a policy of only recruiting from schools that have an above-average percent of women in their CS program. How do you feel about that?

jmknoll 8y ago
I can kind of see what they're getting at. Women are under-represented in the tech industry. I don't think many people would disagree with that. But this feels like a blunt instrument for a highly-nuanced issue. If diversity of experience is a core value at Duolingo, why not recruit everywhere and tailor the interviewing process to favor candidates from non-traditional backgrounds? While they've achieved an important milestone, I'd be very worried about the line of thinking that led to this decision if I were a Duolingo investor. All the diversity in the world doesn't mean much if they can't find a way to keep the lights on.
eridius 8y ago
Wow I have a lot more respect for Duolingo now. That's great!
- gdfasfklshg4 8y ago
  May I ask why this increases your respect for them?
- rmdashrfroot 8y ago
  Why does promoting special treatment rather than fairness increase your respect for them?
  - eridius 8y ago
    What's fair about perpetuating the systematic discrimination that women in tech face? And in what way is this special treatment? Companies use a variety of different metrics by which to determine which schools they should recruit from. "We want to increase our diversity" is a reasonable metric to use, and "recruit from colleges with an above-average percentage of people in a minority group we've chosen to view as important" is a reasonable way to accomplish that. I shouldn't have to point this out, but diversity is more than just a buzzword. Increasing diversity on the development side improves the final product, for a variety of reasons.