SXSW Panel Selected – now to find Panelists

Kaliya Hamlin submitted a panel proposal to SXSW entitled “What Guys are Doing to Get More Girls in Tech!” The point of the panel is to get past the a dynamic that has been seen a few times when trying to address the issue of women in tech – women in tech say there is an issue and the guy says it isn’t an issue.

This panel will be moderated by Kaliya but consist of men who not only agree there is an issue that need to be addressed with the lack of women in technical fields and particularly in fields where women’s participation is significantly lower then the graduation rates or the percentages found in the corporate sector.

This is the description submitted:
Many tech fields have a low percentage of women. If you are a guy do you wonder what you can do about it? Learn about successful strategies and proactive approaches for supporting women you work with and participate in community with. We will even cover some well-intentioned efforts that have gone awry.

We hop to answer these questions on the panel:

1. How many women by percentage participate in different technical fields?
2. Why does it matter that they are underrepresented in these fields?
3. What are the cultural norms that men and women have about performance and self-promotion?
4. What is Male Programmer Privilege?
5. What can a guy do who has a sister that is math/science inclined but being steered away from the field?
6. How have the men on the panel improved things in their workplaces?
7. How have the men on the panel addressed the challenges that arise in open communities? (that is where you don’t have a boss that fires people for inappropriate behavior/comments)
8. What are the qualities of a workplace that is friendly for women?
9. How to go beyond tokenism in workplaces, communities and conferences?
10. How to encourage women more?

We need to find some good men to populate this panel. Kaliya has some in mind but this is an opportunity to discover some guys that are doing great things that should be highlighted.  I invite you to nominate guys you know or if you are a guy and want to raise your hand – I welcome that too.  SXSW wants to know who is on the panel by the end of November.  After She’s Geeky DC we will go through the submissions and decide who should be on the panel.

Comments below or e-mails to info@shesgeeky.org are the best two ways to submit information.