6 ms·

Disclaimer: I am a guy. I apologize if this comes off as a strange sentiment, but I find stories like this pretty condescending. It's almost like reading a sto

Disclaimer: I am a guy. I apologize if this comes off as a strange sentiment, but I find stories like this pretty condescending. It's almost like reading a story about some achievement by a kid with special needs and I need to stand up and cheer for these women. These women are amazing for whatever they have done, regardless of gender.

ktothemc 15y ago
Yeah, I understand. That's why I normally hate writing about women in technology. However, I think a lot of would-be founders or applicants to YC are probably put off by its more male-oriented image. So if nothing else, this dispels that stereotype and may encourage more women to consider applying for it -- which in my mind is a universally good thing.
waterlesscloud 15y ago
Really, how is it different from "Minnesotans in YCombinator" or "Indians in YCombinator"? It's someone choosing to highlight and celebrate a subgroup in a particular feature article. I don't see anything condescending about it at all.
- AznHisoka 15y ago
  it's condescending because as a guy, and someone who has worked very very hard, sometimes you ask yourself: but what about me? I deserve some kudos as well.
  - ktothemc 15y ago
    I write about guys every single day!!! Multiple times a day on TC, in fact!!!
    - deleted 15y ago
      [deleted]
    - Klinky 15y ago
      I think the fear is that the bar is lower if you have a certain set of chromosomes, but in this case that's not true as anyone who makes it into Y Combinator is probably deserving of some sort of write-up as they've been vetted & are getting backing by a big name.
  - jlees 15y ago
    It's also condescending towards the women. It's really hard to shake the internal feeling that perhaps you only got featured because of your gender, and not your brilliant idea, as well as the external perception that that may be the case. I don't think posts like this benefit either audience, in fact. A hard working guy with a world-changing idea shouldn't be overlooked in favour of a mediocre woman who is remarkable because she is a woman.
    - ktothemc 15y ago
      @jlees That is why I have not written a "women in tech" article in six years. But I think the benefit of showing that there are women doing interesting things at Y Combinator to other prospective women founders outweighs the downside that you mentioned.
    - ktothemc 15y ago
      I also think that Y Combinator's application process and brand is so meritocratic that it deflects the effect you're talking about.
      - jlees 15y ago
        Yes, but Techcrunch choosing to explicitly feature the women from YC, not the interesting ideas from YC, creates the effect -- that's what I'm referring to. Mind you, being in YC may minimise the impostor syndrome.
        ktothemc 15y ago
        TC has written a dedicated post to virtually every single YC startup from every batch for the last several years. We did about a dozen posts on Demo Day alone this week. So writing one article that points out that YC is more diverse than it used to be out of the 100 or so we will probably ultimately write about companies from this class seems reasonable to me.
        jlees 15y ago
goldensaucer 15y ago
I can understand the feeling. It'd be great to see these women acknowledged on HN separate from the "women in tech" angle, but it's rare to see their female-oriented areas of business highlighted here. Sincere question: would the men of HN upvote a standalone article on 99dresses? If such a thing is a frequent occurrence, I'd be more than happy to see examples and be proven wrong. For now, I'm okay with these types of lady showcases if only because I get comfort from seeing almost any example of female leadership in this corner of the internet. It's unfortunate that focusing on gender's the most surefire way to get these women on the front page, but stories like this and articles on female struggles in the tech world are mostly the only times I get a sense of female camaraderie around here. It feels less condescending when it's so much more difficult to get acknowledgment in a community of male-dominated interests.

ktothemc 15y ago

Yeah, I understand. That's why I normally hate writing about women in technology. However, I think a lot of would-be founders or applicants to YC are probably put off by its more male-oriented image. So if nothing else, this dispels that stereotype and may encourage more women to consider applying for it -- which in my mind is a universally good thing.

waterlesscloud 15y ago

Really, how is it different from "Minnesotans in YCombinator" or "Indians in YCombinator"? It's someone choosing to highlight and celebrate a subgroup in a particular feature article. I don't see anything condescending about it at all.

AznHisoka 15y ago
it's condescending because as a guy, and someone who has worked very very hard, sometimes you ask yourself: but what about me? I deserve some kudos as well.
- ktothemc 15y ago
  I write about guys every single day!!! Multiple times a day on TC, in fact!!!
  - deleted 15y ago
    [deleted]
  - Klinky 15y ago
    I think the fear is that the bar is lower if you have a certain set of chromosomes, but in this case that's not true as anyone who makes it into Y Combinator is probably deserving of some sort of write-up as they've been vetted & are getting backing by a big name.
- jlees 15y ago
  It's also condescending towards the women. It's really hard to shake the internal feeling that perhaps you only got featured because of your gender, and not your brilliant idea, as well as the external perception that that may be the case. I don't think posts like this benefit either audience, in fact. A hard working guy with a world-changing idea shouldn't be overlooked in favour of a mediocre woman who is remarkable because she is a woman.
  - ktothemc 15y ago
    @jlees That is why I have not written a "women in tech" article in six years. But I think the benefit of showing that there are women doing interesting things at Y Combinator to other prospective women founders outweighs the downside that you mentioned.
  - ktothemc 15y ago
    I also think that Y Combinator's application process and brand is so meritocratic that it deflects the effect you're talking about.
    - jlees 15y ago
      Yes, but Techcrunch choosing to explicitly feature the women from YC, not the interesting ideas from YC, creates the effect -- that's what I'm referring to. Mind you, being in YC may minimise the impostor syndrome.
      - ktothemc 15y ago
        TC has written a dedicated post to virtually every single YC startup from every batch for the last several years. We did about a dozen posts on Demo Day alone this week. So writing one article that points out that YC is more diverse than it used to be out of the 100 or so we will probably ultimately write about companies from this class seems reasonable to me.
        jlees 15y ago

goldensaucer 15y ago

I can understand the feeling. It'd be great to see these women acknowledged on HN separate from the "women in tech" angle, but it's rare to see their female-oriented areas of business highlighted here. Sincere question: would the men of HN upvote a standalone article on 99dresses? If such a thing is a frequent occurrence, I'd be more than happy to see examples and be proven wrong. For now, I'm okay with these types of lady showcases if only because I get comfort from seeing almost any example of female leadership in this corner of the internet. It's unfortunate that focusing on gender's the most surefire way to get these women on the front page, but stories like this and articles on female struggles in the tech world are mostly the only times I get a sense of female camaraderie around here. It feels less condescending when it's so much more difficult to get acknowledgment in a community of male-dominated interests.