Now that I’ve been here for over a month, it IS awesome. I get to play with Nerf guns, partake in competitions for coffee, and receive Paula Deen-worthy praise every time I bring in baked goods. I truly work with an amazing group of guys who value and respect my opinions and my work. Honestly, I hardly notice that I’m the only gal. While I do hope that eventually the male to female ratio equalizes in the tech field (and all fields, for that matter), I’m proud to be one of the few ladies making strides in the Boston industry, and for that I feel empowered.
I wondered what other females thought about their minority status in the tech environment. I reached out to some lovely ladies in the industry, and got some hilarious, heartwarming, and brilliant responses. A huge thanks to everyone who helped out!
The question I asked was simple: "What is it like being a female in Boston’s male-dominated tech industry?"
"Sometimes being a female in a male-dominated industry means that men may be more likely to listen to your opinion, because it's new and different. While some could assume that it could be difficult to have your opinion heard as a female, I oftentimes find it quite the opposite."
-Janet Comenos
Director of Sales at Promoboxx
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“The tech community in Boston is an awesome group of people with incredible energy and tons of creativity. It’s a really positive environment filled with people who are looking for ways to collaborate and help others succeed. It may be male-dominated, but that hasn’t made a difference to me. All I know is that I’m fortunate to be part of a great community of people who, in addition to being incredibly good at what they do, are a blast to hang with!”
-Heather Keith
CEO/Founder, Strohl Medical
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"There aren't a ton of us, but I feel like the chicks in the Boston startup scene are all getting to know each other and have fun seeing each other at events. More than that, I've developed some of the best friendships I've ever had with ladies I met through this stuff.
Tech does attract a lot of men, so I work with mostly guys. I love my coworkers and I think working with guys has helped me grow. Many women are like this too, but the guys I work with are very direct, no BS, and offer feedback and advice in a way that isn't personal. …This environment helped me come out of my shell a lot. I learned I needed to hold my own, and that when I did it wouldn't be taken personally. This offered me the occasion and the safety net I needed in order to grow into that person - that person who does speak up."
-Janet Aronica
Head of Marketing, Shareaholic
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“It's a cakewalk. Just kidding. I've actually worked with all male and all female teams in my career. Each time, we created our own healthy culture and community. Working with mostly men or mostly women isn't a big deal to me. Either way, hilarious stories, awkward run-ins, and the occasional tense conversation abounds. I just like to work with kind, humble teammates who are driven and enjoy a good laugh. Everyone knows I love to laugh.”
-Sonciary Honnoll
VP Marketing & Co-Founder, Promoboxx
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“I actually don't buy into ‘male-dominated’ as the right metaphor for tech. Domination is not the same thing as a preponderance of numbers. Are armies ‘dominated’ by soldiers? Or generals?
Entrepreneurs cannot see obstacles, they must see opportunities. If you aspire to entrepreneurship and think your (gender, sexual orientation, geography, connectedness) is what's stopping you? By virtue of the self-fulfilling prophesy, you're right. and you're stopped. And that's a damned shame that is all yours to get over.
Besides, being a woman in tech is a tremendous asset simply by virtue of there being so few of us so far. Eventually, there will be many more of us, meanwhile, seize the positive opportunity inherent in that. “
-Laura Fitton
Inbound Marketing Evangelist, HubSpot
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"Undoubtedly the first thing people notice when they meet me is my height (or lackthereof); I'm 4'10. As a result of everyone typically assuming that I was 5-10 years younger than I really was (they still do, really), I became accustomed to people underestimating me, or trying to steamroll and ignore me altogether. I grew to be feisty with a quick wit and a willingness to get my hands dirty. These traits have served me well the last six years as I've navigated the 'tech waters' here in Boston, and I see the same qualities in all of the kick-ass women I've met along the way in this town.
Then again, if that quick-witted charm starts to wear off I guess I'll be forced to take up Starcraft."
-Dania Lieberthal
Account Manager -Enterprise at Hubspot
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"Personally, it's just like high school when I was hanging out with the boys. If you enjoy being around geeks and fast-pace environments, I think it's a great place to evolve in and have fun. It sometimes requires adjustment for communication and more time for people to trust your skills but it's totally worth it. This industry will benefit from having more women not ostracizing technologies from their career path. Every company, no matter what it's built with, needs a major human component to succeed. Our emotional intelligence and listening skills combined with technological knowledge will create even more customer and employee centric tech companies."
-Olivia Dufour
CEO of Invup
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"The part I enjoy the most of this male dominated field is the fact that the bathrooms are always clean and empty. :)"
-Tiffany Karl
Marketing Manager, Promoboxx
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"I've only just started my career in a male-dominated industry; so while I can't make any final judgements, I am curious to know why there are so few women in the development field. Many women are involved in communications (marketing, PR, social media, etc) yet I rarely see a female developer. This makes me wonder: are women struggling to get jobs, or is there a general lack of interest? Again, I'm young in my career so as time goes on, the job market and my experiences may change."
-Shannon Lehotsky
Marketing Coordinator, Wiggio
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"I came to BuzzFeed from an all-female design team at a publishing house and although our office has more men than women, I've never been made to feel that my ideas or skills are any less valued than those of my male colleagues. This is in large part due to a great management team that treats each of us with the same level of respect and who hired this great group of sensitive, enlightened males—some of whom self-identify as feminists. There are definite differences between working in an office of men vs women. Most notably in the amount of talk of bodily functions and frequency of after work drinks, but also in communication styles and how one gets their voice heard. I've learned to speak up more instead of waiting to be called on and have found that I implement ideas with less hesitation in my current role. I think it's true though that wherever you go, you teach people how to treat you."
-Amy Sly
Visual Designer, BuzzFeed
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"Before becoming a programmer, I was a jazz trumpet player, and before that a math major. I think I've always been 'one of the boys,' I hardly notice it anymore!
I think nowadays it is both easier and harder for women to be in male-dominated fields. On the one hand, you get a fair amount of encouragement for doing it, both from men and women. On the other hand, I think there are still events that only guys get invited to, like pick-up basketball, brewskis, and other things...it can be hard to tell the difference between individuals hanging out with people they connect with and a boys' club.
All in all, I love the excitement of the entrepreneurs' scene and the creativity and challenge of programming (both very male dominated), and both of these groups are quite welcoming to women in this town. Go Boston!"
-Anna Callahan
Founder, Crew Tide
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All you tech ladies (and men!) out there- what are your thoughts?
