Transcript: TechCrunch Disrupt “Women In Tech” Panel [From The Archives]

SARAH: Let’s talk about the root problems but what’s the awareness issue? Do you really think TechCrunch doesn’t write about women? You really think VCs don’t fund women because they’re women?

RACHEL: The awareness issue might be saying OK if we’ve got a ratio issue then recognizing that it would be a major benefit to change it. I mean, the tech community is about innovation and there’s no two ways about it that diversity begets innovation.

CYAN: I don’t think it starts with this panel, I don’t think this panel solves anything. I just don’t think that diversity—I don’t believe in affirmative action. I don’t believe in artificially creating panels and putting women on stage unless it’s merit driven.

SARAH CHIPPS: I agree, I think it’s not so much us getting up here and talking about it. I think educating people is great; I don’t think anyone here though—except for that guy apparently—isn’t aware of the ratio problem. What I think is important—in this panel especially, in the next half hour—is that we talk about what we’re doing about it and how we’re changing it, rather than talking about the problem. Because everyone knows.

SARAH: Ok, Michelle, let’s start with you. We were talking back stage and you had some interesting things to say about the view that women—there’s a good business case around that tech companies need to hire more women now.

MICHELLE: Well, we all heard from Mark Pincus from Zynga and if you actually look at the average player of Farmville, it’s a 43-year-old female. And so you look at the web and you look at the consumers on the web and they’re women. And then you look at the people creating the software, the architects, the people who come up with the ideas to accommodate these ideas and they’re men. I don’t think that’s necessarily men trying to keep women down, I don’t think it’s some sort of conspiracy. I think a lot of it is because when you’re a girl and you think of software development, you don’t think it’s a career for you. And I think we should change that. I look at what you’re doing in New York and it’s like you’ve got Mommy Bloggers; why can’t there be Mommy Coders? Why can’t we create software for the people who are using the product?

LEILA: I think we’re talking about the symptom and not the cause. I read that fewer than 12% of computer science degrees every year are awarded to women. So until we get more women in the STEM fields—science, technology, engineering and math—there’s no way there are going to be more women in technology.

SARAH: Now you’re quoting stats but that’s actually a very contentious issue. When we’ve written before that there’s not as many women graduating with math and science degrees, we get a flood of hate mail. (To Rachel) So, do you want to take issue with that?

NEXT: Does she want to take issue with that?

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.