Espousing meritocracy while reinforcing sexist talk perpetuates low women’s participation in tech

Evidence

While many members of the tech scene—both men and women—espoused equality and meritocracy during the period of my study, they simultaneously reenacted and reinforced sexist stereotypes about women in technology through their own talk and practice. Women’s contributions to the scene were undervalued or attributed to men, women were systematically sexualized and judged on appearance, and structural sexism was denied. This lopsided description of women’s roles discourages women’s participation in entrepreneurial technology, creating fewer female role models and mentors for younger women and thus perpetuating the low rates of women in technology. — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 693

Categorization

• XREF: Parallels the broader theme of status signaling — here meritocratic talk functions as status signaling that masks structural exclusion, echoing influencer authenticity discourse. — connects to: Tech meritocracy discourse masks a narrow demographic and behavioral mold — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 46; Openness rhetoric in open-source culture masks gender-exclusionary status hierarchies — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 173; Tech scene meritocracy claims mask the need for preexisting elite networks — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 204 (+9 more)