Re:Google Fires Employee Behind Controversial Diversity Memo
by mikeash on Tuesday August 08, 2017 @08:40PM
(#14964497)
How do you know the process is biased towards women?
Re:Google Fires Employee Behind Controversial Diversity Memo
by Simon_says on Wednesday August 09, 2017 @04:14AM
(#14966520)
As I mentioned earlier, for the company I was part of, that was an explicit goal, and then I watched them hire a less talented woman over a more talented man a couple times. My impression is that this is exactly what diversity initiatives are designed to do.
Re:Google Fires Employee Behind Controversial Diversity Memo
by mikeash on Wednesday August 09, 2017 @10:53AM
(#14969599)
There are lots of other places in the process which might have bias the other way that you don't see. (And to be fair, they might not, or they might add yet more bias towards women. The point is just that it's really, really hard to evaluate bias from within, or even from without.)
You're right, hiring in tech has gender bias, but right now that bias leans in women's favor at every step. Other commenters have posted research on this point, but I'll add my anonymous, unverifiable anecdotes to the pile. When I was on hiring committees at my old company, I watched us hire women who performed less well on our technical interviews than men we rejected, for the explicit reason of hiring more women. But I'm savvier than Damore, so I knew when to keep my opinions to myself about it.
And still there's fewer women in tech. There has to be other explanations.