Brennan Symposium
Breaking Up the Boys’ Club
When Emily Chang started writing Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley three years ago, the Me Too movement was a small, hashtag-less call to awareness of the pervasiveness of sexual abuse and assault in society. Chang, as an anchor and producer reporting on Silicon Valley for Bloomberg TV, found sexism especially pervasive in the industry she covered—technology. Over the past few years, with the contributions of Chang and many others, sexism in the workplace has become a major topic of national conversation. Now, companies across industries are beginning to see not only the moral value but also the professional value of including and respecting women in business environments. But of course, plenty of work remains to be done; many glass ceilings to be shattered. During the Brennan Symposium’s moderated discussion last April, Chang answered questions about her past and present experiences, and what can be done to better the future of women in all workforces.
Throughout the session in the Heights Room, Chang called attention to the more focused diversity-conscious work that is done in all businesses when women have a seat at the table. The co-founder of Twitter even told her that if there had been more women on the early Twitter team, online harassment and trolling wouldn’t be such a problem. Yet, “Brotopia” still exists everywhere, from Silicon Valley to Hollywood to Wall Street. Chang encouraged the female students in the room to combat this at the individual level. “We all are our best selves when we are ourselves,” she said, adding that summoning confidence and tuning out societal pressures to question yourself can be your most important weapon.
Chang explained that change starts with better interpersonal interactions. “If you see someone get interrupted, mansplaining or womansplaining, say something. It doesn’t have to be a public takedown. Say something after, or just say, ‘Excuse me, can we have a minute to finish what we were going to say?’ Those little things can make a huge difference.” For the male students in the room, she explained that these are moments when men can be very helpful by politely challenging the interrupter and voicing support for the (usually female) interruptee.
In closing, Chang said that what will truly induce widespread change is for this issue to become a priority, and then to be given time. There is much that parents, teachers, and the wider culture need to do, but also a lot that industries need to do. Namely, make it a top priority, and make sure organizations are building infrastructure to help their employees make better choices and combat their own biases. For Chang, addressing sexism in the workplace doesn’t have to be as hard as some people think. “Look at everything tech companies are doing—if they cared about hiring more women, they would make that happen,” she said. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Caitlan Griffith ’20, Winston undergraduate assistant