A successful woman’s perspective on workplace inequality

Perhaps the women of the Wal-Mart class action suit should read this from a successful female techie/entrepreneur:

When I entered the industry, it was burgeoning. Though being a woman was a novelty, it was growing so fast the opportunity was there, just as the opportunity was there for women during World War II. Tech is a true meritocracy. Either you have the goods or you don’t. There’s less concern with gender, race, color and creed. I really truly believe that, despite data on the dearth of women in technology, tech doesn’t have a barrier up to women. In fact, if anything, women who are technically prepared have an advantage.

I couldn’t agree more. The statistics often sited to argue that women are discriminated against in the workplace are scientifically bogus. They are usually broad societal averages that don’t make any attempt to account for all the perfectly fair and legitimate factors that may affect the achievement of women as a demographic.

Logic, the female version

A woman refutes this statement:

[Women] have children that they have to take time off to go home and take leave of. Therefore, it's their productivity. It's not their fault.

With this one:

[Women] tend to take more sick days than men because they have to care for sick children.

Don’t join the debate team Ma’am.

More on workplace (in)equality

I wrote a few days ago about difference in median income growth between men and women over the last half-century.  Now the Atlantic has added some data, supporting the explanation that women have been becoming better educated and increasing their participation in highly skilled, higher paying jobs.  Over the same period, men's average education levels have stayed relatively constant, and they have continued to dominate low-skilled jobs requiring manual labor.  Makes sense to me.

Workplace (in)equality

Marginal Revolution has some striking data comparing the median male and female income, and how each has changed since the late 40’s.  It’s clear from the plots that the median woman, which as MR points out, is not actually a person, but a statistical construct, has done a lot better:

My reaction: