Recently in a conversation with one of my daughters I remarked that the only issue I thought might be more devastating to humanity than the status of girls and women in society is global warming. Upon reflection, I now feel that I was wrong. There is nothing more devastating to humanity than the status of girls and women in society.
There are a few reasons for this, but I will simply cite an essential one. The essential reason is that for us to be able to collectively solve the biggest problems we face as humanity, we need ALL of our assets brought to bear, and that certainly includes the more than half of the planet who are female. The fact that many girls and women are marginalized, abused, and denied their full rights as human beings means that we are collectively severely crippled. And it has to stop.
Meanwhile, although I am in a female dominated profession, there are still a disproportionate number of men in positions of power and in generally higher-paying technical positions. For years the tech community Code4Lib has struggled to diversify and make women more comfortable in joining in, both virtually and at the annual conference. Thankfully, it appears that progress is being made.
But it is just a beginning — both for Code4Lib and for society more generally. So these are things I pledge to do to help:
- Shut up. As a privileged white male, I’ve come to realize that my voice is the loudest in the room. And I don’t mean that in actual fact, although it is often true in that sense. I mean it figuratively. People pay attention to what I have to say just by the mere fact of my placement in the power hierarchy. The fact that I am speaking means a lesser-heard voice remains lesser-heard. So I will strive to not speak in situations where doing so can allow space for lesser-heard voices to speak.
- Listen up. Having made space for lesser-heard voices, I need to listen to what they have to say. That means actively engaging with what they are saying, thinking carefully about it, and finding points of relevance to my situation.
- Speak up. As someone in a position of power I know that it can be used for good or evil. Using it for evil doesn’t necessarily mean I knowingly cause harm, mind you, but I can cause harm nonetheless. Using my power for good may mean, at times, speaking up to others in power positions to create more inviting and inclusive situations for those with less power in social situations.
- Step down. As someone who is often offered the podium at a conference or meeting, I’m trying to do better about not accepting offers until or unless there is at least equity in gender representation. This means sometimes walking away from gigs, which I have done and which I will continue to do until this female-dominated profession gives women their due.
- Step up. Whether Edmund Burke said this or someone else, I nonetheless hold it to be true: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” So sometimes I will need to spring into action to fight the evil of misogyny, whether it is overt and intended or subtle and unintentional.
There are no doubt other ways in which I can help, and I look forward to learning what those are. It’s a journey, I’ve found, in trying to understand what being on the top of the societal heap means and how it has shaped my perceptions and, unfortunately, actions.
About Roy Tennant