“Imagine you are nothing like how you are right now,” says Duretti Hirpa, a senior engineer at Slack. The words tumble out of her mouth as she tries to convey the alienation and otherness of working in Silicon Valley when you don’t fit the conventional image of an engineer. “It’s very tough to explain to someone what you experience, if it’s not their lived experience,” she says. Between 2006 and 2011, women represented just 12 percent of the engineering workforce in the United States, according to data collected by the American Association of University Women. In the same time period, women of color accounted for just over 4 percent of the engineering talent.
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Silicon Valley companies also struggle to retain female engineers. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found that 32 percent of women in science, technology, engineering, and math leave the field within a year compared to 22 percent of men. Women told WIRED about work environments in which they often are the only female on their team and must constantly reaffirm their skills and knowledge. They see few role models or paths for advancement. Erica Baker, an engineer and outspoken voice for diversity and inclusion in tech, says that although many companies track their diversity, "we don’t really talk much about the inclusion part. What are you doing to make sure that everybody is included and feels safe and happy and comfortable and supported and valued in your organization?"
This lack of progress drew national attention again earlier this year when programmer Susan J. Fowler published a blog post detailing the sexual harassment and discrimination she faced at Uber. The most alarming revelation may have been Fowler’s depiction of a corporate culture that all but ignored her allegations, even when she reported them to human resources.
All industries face challenges when it comes to gender disparity. But what do those challenges look like when 88 percent of your field looks nothing like you? Five women engineers based in Silicon Valley, whose years in the industry range from 8 months to 20 years, shared their experiences with WIRED.