Comment by mullingitover | Hacker News Reader

Comment by mullingitover | Hacker News Reader

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> So if you were a woman considering taking a job at GitHub, this would have no influence on your decision? Really?

If I was a woman interviewing at GitHub and then read this, it would absolutely influence my decision. I'd want to work there more.

There are two possibilities here:

1) Github has a culture of sexist workplace harassment

2) She is not telling the truth and Github is a perfectly nice place to work

In 1), I would be harassed, sure. I would then take care to document the harassment and file a lawsuit against the unrepentantly sexist company. I'd get a great settlement, Github likely has deep pockets or backers who do and would be desperate for this to go away. Cha-ching, cash in, and feel great doing it.

In 2), I'd have a nice job and everything would be cool.

Says a person who has obviously never been in such a situation and can't even imagine the reality.

It's cartoon-ish to say, "Well then I'd sue and everything would be worth it." Know why most women don't sue? Death treats. Rape threats. Not being able to ever get a job in tech again. No one believing the claims could possibly be true. The expense of suing someone and losing. Etc.

The day-to-day psychological effects alone are bad enough that, with any familiarity, you would never roll the dice on that chance.

> Says a person who has obviously never been in such a situation and can't even imagine the reality.

I worked on a community care facility for developmentally disabled adults when I was in college. I was young when it happened, probably 19-20, and an older woman I worked with made constant unwanted sexual advances. We worked unsupervised in a two person team in a group home, and for about six months she would never let a day go by without pointing out that she would be willing to engage in intercourse with me, right here and now, in pretty graphic terms. I was pretty low on the totem pole, the woman harassing me was very good friends with management, and so I never did anything about it.

So yes, I have been in a situation like that, can imagine the reality, and would totally be willing to go through it again and do it right by reporting it and maybe saving others from getting that treatment in the future.

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