Gender Issues in Open Source/Free Software Development Mini-HOWTO

Poppy Casper

This document exists as a companion to Encourage-Women-Linux-HOWTO and treats the subject of gender issues in the GNU/Linux community from the female perspective, with suggestions for how women can successfully navigate the idiosyncratic open source/free software community.

Table of Contents

Introduction and Motivation

After the publication of “How To Encourage Women in Linux”, a number of comments were made about the suitability of the document. Many people claimed that it was unnecessary, that women don't need extra encouragement, or that newbie-friendly manuals are all anyone of any gender needs to be able to co-exist in the GNU/Linux community and its mailing lists, IRC channels, and conventions.

That HOWTO was originally written at the request of men who were aware of the discrimination existent in the community, and as such, continues to serve its purpose as a document aimed at men interested in improving conditions for women in development. However, it became apparent that where the Encourage-Women-Linux-HOWTO document was lacking was in practical advice for women, in particular on how to get started and how to deal with the collision between the often volatile GNU/Linux community and the way most women are raised.

It is our sincere hope as authors of this document that one day, we will be able to retire this document, as there will be no more gender bias in the way projects and communications are run.

It's only a matter of time that our community will grow to be a place with no gender-related differences. May we live to see that day.

Contributors:

Poppy Casper wrote this howto.
Fjenne Rápidos added fundamental (and somehow controversial) material.
Jacinta Richardson helped rewrite and added some more comments.

This document is copyright 2003 by Poppy Casper.
Fjenne Rápidos has given away any kind of copyright.
Jacinta Richardson hasn't told us yet her position on this matter.

The latest version of this howto lives at http://www.alu.ua.es/f/fjrp2/howto/gender.htm

What Barriers are there for Women in GNU/Linux and Why do we Need this Document?

After the publication of “How To Encourage Women in Linux”, a number of opinions came out, from both men and women.

Here are some anecdotes describing what women are being asked to “get used to”:

“my last boss [...] walked in to the room where all of us (the IS staff) were working, walked around saying hello to each of the guys until he got to me (the only female in the department). He stood beside my desk, said “All women are worthless” and walked off.”

“I was a founding member and president for a while of our local LUG. During the first meeting, I was up in front of the room full of men (a few girlfriends were there as well, but not too many women), and one of them asked where the president was and if they were going to get to meet him.”

“I always go to my local LUG with my fiance. One time, our 'usual crowd' were sitting round a table having a discussion, when I felt a hand [...] inside my trousers. I turned round, to see a middle-aged (married) guy whom I had discussed technical stuff with on several occasions. His response - 'Well, if you're going to wear those trendy hipster trousers you can't expect me not to notice your very nice arse.'”

“Exchange in my workplace last year. Male: 'You looked very good yesterday.' Me: 'Thank you.' Male: 'You should dress like that everyday.' Me: 'Sorry, but it takes about an hour to dress that well, and it's quite expensive. I only do it when it's necessary.' Male: 'In my country, women like to dress up for their men.'”

Given the above examples, it's readily apparent why more of us aren't active in software development, testing, and documentation in general, not just open source/free software. There are other, more subtle barriers, as well.

  1. Women tend to be less confident of their ability than men. The reason for this is under much debate, and this document will not attempt to theorize. It is sufficient to make the observation that, in general, women are less confident of technical ability, and this does not mesh well with the open source/free software community, where confidence and outspokenness can often make the difference between being recognized as a developer or not.


  2. Men, in general, are raised to expect a competitive environment, and by the time they are adult, have learned how to fight it out for superiority. There is very little emphasis given to young boys as they are growing to make sure they are “nice” to their friends, whereas girls are taught to be nice to their friends or their friends will leave.


  3. Men also learn earlier and easier how to be heard - speak loudly, forcefully, and interrupt people whom are not strong speakers. In mixed-gender groups, women have a hard time being heard over the deeper voices of their male colleagues.


  4. Being that men tend to grow up in a competitive environment, most managers/leaders of workplaces and projects will be male, and will expect the workplace/project to have a high level of competition. (Best patch, fastest coder, etc)


  5. All of the above can lead to a woman being taken less seriously than her male counterparts: Being less technically confident, she is less likely to put herself forward into the competitive discourse. Being less experienced, she is less likely to be confident with the debating skills necessary to make herself heard, nor will she be able to be heard above the voices of men who are striving for attention and drowning her out. And expectations will be geared to people who can handle this type of environment well, thus she will meet more challenges in reaching those expectations due to the aforementioned situations.


Tearing Barriers apart

If we are to gain any progress in the Open Source/Free Software Community and succeed in our goals of a multiple non-biased environment, these barriers need to be undermined:

  1. Women tend to be less confident of their ability than men.

    We all have our days of not feeling very confident, but the trick is to at least make it look as if we do feel confident. Looking other people straight in the eyes works wonders.

    If you don't have something to say about the topic, keep looking into their eyes and say something unrelated. We don't have to pull faces or make gestures but if you look straight into someone's eyes in a calm and relaxed way, you'll look confident of your ability.

    It can feel a little strange doing it. We have this impression that we're supposed to look down and be meek, but keep on. If you're thinking "Oh my, this terrible sensation... am I being rude", remember that if you don't appear confident you'll (continue to) be trodden all over.

    Looking the people to whom we are talking to straight in the eyes works miracles. They'll see you as self-confidant and may assume you know more than you do, but that shouldn't be a problem. I have won an enormous admiration among my colleagues just from looking them in the eyes when I speak to them. This has been one of the secrets to being recognised and invited to conventions and parties.


  2. Men, in general, are raised to expect a competitive environment, and by the time they are adults, have learned how to fight it out for superiority.

    On the other hand, women, in general, are raised to cooperate and by the time they are adults, have learned to pacify, agree, compromise and demure to more confident parties. Women are not usually raised to compete, but this is something easily learned, or imitated, thus the necessity to have competent women roles or mentors to imitate.

    It's not an advantage to us that men know how to compete and we don't. It's not an advantage because it means that they expect us to compete and when we don't they dismiss us. We do have other skills, but those skills are not the ones that the men have been taught to expect.

    On the other hand, our ability to cooperate and compromise is an advantage in the free software world. If we can work together with each other we can promote a more understanding and tollerant community. A world and community which is receptive to all kinds of innovation, "open" to people and diversity, "free" from any kind of barriers.

    We have found here a key issue. We might say that both perspectives have their weak and strong points, so that the best results can be only gained from the medley of both of them. But to reassure that the medley really happens, start by being as competitive as any of your colleagues. I would say, start by being even MORE competitive than your colleagues.

    The good thing about being a woman is that we can be competitive, without compromising other values: cooperation, placation... The point is maybe to show this competence in a way that will admit no doubt.

    Actually the solution to barrier 1) is here reinforced; as well as looking people in the eye, be confident that you're the competant able person to handle all kind of situations. As you have already won attention to yourself by appearing confident, now win appreciation by actually having competance to go with that.

    Have a goal, visualize it, and follow it no matter how hard it is. Competance is easily learned, easily practised. If the environment has to be competitive, we will make it even more competitive.

    Maybe the only drawback of competition is the stress associated with it. We have to learn to tackle this stress, and mostly to get rid of it. Or better: to use it in a way that reinforces our competence.


  3. Men also learn earlier and easier how to be heard - speak loudly, forcefully, and interrupt people whom are not strong speakers.

    Again, assertiveness can come very handy. Don't allow yourself to be interrupted, learn to handle these kind of situations: a clever piece of thought can be "louder" than a strong bombast with no content. There are effective techniques to be heard and to express ideas sharply, which will be covered in the tactics section.


  4. Being that men tend to grow up in a competitive environment, most managers/leaders of workplaces and projects will be male.

    This is slowly changing. As much as the above barriers will be incessantly opened, this one will also become an achieved one.
    We need to encourage women into taking responsibility workplaces. And we need to encourage ourselves and our offspring, into growing up in an environment that will dillute any discrimination.



  5. All of the above can lead to a woman being taken less seriously than her male counterparts.

    It is difficult to prove how serious we are about a matter if others regard us as "less serious". It can be very frustrating, and it will probably influence our behaviour and our mood while handling situations/dealing with others. But this is a mistake: to prove how serious we can be, let's be serious first in the adversities. If the 'hurricane' can be saved, then any storm will seem as a nimiety.

    The more confidence, competence, assertiveness and handle of stressful situations that we can have, the best to prove how serious we are. We cannot change all the stubborn bosses of the world, but we can continously show them wrong.


What can I do?

Obviously, we're not helpless to simply put up with whatever people throw at us. Anything that you can do for yourself to improve your standing in the community and gain respect can only prove beneficial in the long run.

Network

First, seek out friends and allies. If you befriend other users, at any experience level, they'll be able to help you over the rough spots, give you some tips from their experience, listen to the problems you're having getting started, and support your attempts to speak up.

Look especially for friendly types with experience in areas that you'd like to learn. Ask if they will mentor you, or at very least, show you how to do $X. No-one will help you if you don't ask for the help.

The flip side to this is: when you are experienced, be willing to mentor new users. Maintain your ties to new user groups, look for people in the position you were in when you first started. In order for them to be able to contribute to your project when you are project leader, you must encourage them to speak up.

Seek out women-in-computing or women in your field. Even if you're not prone to making close friends with women, you may appreciate being able to discuss the challenges you've met with other women - this will help put them in perspective, demonstrate that you're not the only one and make apparent that you're not being over-sensitive, help you recognize bias when it happens.

Be Strong

Differentiate criticism of your ideas or your work from criticism of your self. Stand up for your inherent right not to be insulted, but acknowledge as well that you are not your project.

Don't be afraid to encourage your self-esteem. Believing that you deserve to be treated fairly is a major step on the way to actually being treated fairly. If you feel that you have serious self-esteem issues, seek out counseling from a medical professional or a respected mentor.

Brag. You've earned it. You may feel like you're being too forward when you tell a colleague about successfully installing software from source, installing GNU/Linux for the first time, or building device drivers yourself - but it's something that needs to be done if you want respect. People who brag unfoundedly may not garner any respect, but what little they do get is more than the person who never utters a peep of self-congratulations. Guys usually brag more than they should, while on the other hand, we brag less than the actual facts show. The best thing would be to equilibrate this balance. Or if he brags, then you brag another BIGGER.

Celebrate your accomplishments. When you finish writing the documentation for a project, invite some friends out for drinks to celebrate. Throw a party. Buy that new game that you just haven't had spare time to play yet.

Bear in mind that you may not like everyone with whom you must work to complete a project. They may not like you as well. All you need in order to be successful is their respect. Holding to this creates less pressure upon yourself and them to be pleasing, and to work comfortably.

Review some of the extensive literature written for women in business, even if you're a stay-at-home mother who dabbles in computers as a hobby - there's a lot of good information pertaining to the ways in which women communicate, and how to communicate with mixed-gender groups more effectively. “How to Say It for Women” is a good place to start, and should be in your local library.

Tactics

Be ready to turn offensive comments back on themselves: when asked for the nth time if your spouse minds you hacking on the kernel all night instead of cooking dinner, look the person speaking in the eye, and ask him/her if his/her spouse minds being married to someone with no tact. Then change the subject. A piece of advice Dear Abby hands out often is “If it's a personal question that you would prefer not answer, just ask them why they want to know.”

Verify that you heard and understood ambiguous comments correctly. “Did you mean to come across as saying $X?” is a good phrase to remember. If the speaker mispoke, they now have a chance to elaborate and invite you into a discussion of why their original comment could have been inappropriate.

Promote equality. Share the work with your team, both the fun aspects and the boring ones. Living equality will impress more people than espousing it.

Agree to disagree when necessary. Being strong enough to respect your own opinions - and your right to hold them - will prevent you from being walked over. Bear in mind that most people are reasonable, and when there is no other solution to a disagreement, it may simply be time to agree that you hold different viewpoints.

Allow yourself to be stubborn every now and then. Not a fancy, more like: "I always use vi, and I'll keep on using vi" This makes people wonder: "wow, she must have a strong reason to use vi", and so they notice that you are a person with rooted ideas. And if they feel different, they have an oportunity there to learn new views, new perspectives, and the nifty exercise of dialog.

Learn to express your anger productively. If you have to 'shout' to somebody, then do it. But always try to 'tunnel' your anger through ways that will turn it into interesting stuff. And try never to act with others the way you don't like to be treated.

You have a right to refuse the company of people who will not respect you. You have a right to avoid their company, and a right, when their company is unavoidable, to ask someone else to be present. Do not stay alone in the company of someone with whom you feel endangered. And take measures to prevent any possible damage (to you, to your hard-disc, to your partnership, etc.)

You have a right to expect that if you say “No”, it will be respected. Asking someone to change a behavior is not asking them to change a personality trait. Expecting basic personality traits to change is excessive; expecting the behavior demonstrating those traits to change is not. Expect a change in behavior, and let the rest work itself out. 'NO' is understood by everybody. So use it when it's needed.

Try not to merge affairs and work. Even if you work and live with the same person there's a moment for everything. You can be nice and scratch his/her back at night, but during work time, don't hesitate to stand up for yourself and make your positions on things clear.

Learn to be assertive. It will come very handy in all types of situations.

Speak directly and approach problems in a straight line. The shortest path between the problem and its solution is the action.

Mental poise is an important factor. Negative mental attitudes like fear, worry, anger, jealousy, tension and inferiority complex should be eliminated by positive thinking, and good company.

Learn to admit that things sometimes don't work as expected. Life is always happening, always changing. Don't expect everything to go smoothly all of the time. When things do go wrong, don't assume that it's because you can't handle the situation. Look at the problem and ask yourself whether you have all the materials and information you need to solve it. If not, ask for help.

Other Gender-related Issues

What being a woman implies

There are several tonalities of answer. But the fact is we are women: let's look at it from the right perspective.

Maternity

A truly gender related issue, because it relates 100% to us. Having a baby, feeling it grow, then breeding... Don't let the fact of being pregnant influence your other activities though: your social life, your job, your sports... Just take some 'extra' cares, that's all. And when the definitive moment arives, breathe deeply, relax, and let the miracle happen.

The 'Day of the Month'

This is phisiology at its best. Let's forget about any obscure stories surrounding the cycle: it happens, it lasts about 2-5 days, and it's a physiological process, as good as breathing, heart-beating, sweating, or hormone creating: they are all called biorythms. We couldn't maintain homeostasis if it wasn't because of them.

Now many men are not very clear about it, or they are plain curious; it's understandable, as they haven't been through the experience. Either try to explain it, or ask them gently to search an Encyclopedia.

Explaining it is a nice moment to compare the differences/find coincidences between both systems (male and female). Males also have some peculiarities not so obvious to us. In my opinion though, it should be taught at school: a good way to understand the differences is to know them first.

Emotions.

It is a neat sign of freedom to show the emotions. Maybe we women are more free in that sense than men, because we usually exteriorize our emotions, and in a more varied, constructive, espontaneous way.

As experience has shown me, it is better to show them than to keep them: they could explode ;)
If something upsets you, don't hesitate to say it.
If you have to shout then, by all means, shout.
If you feel like crying, then cry. It relieves a lot, it releases 'endorphins' and other analgesic substances, it clears the mind.

Don't overdo though: let your emotions manifest by themselves.

The Challenge

Some of our concerns won't make much sense to men. They might wonder: 'so what's the problem?' The problem is maybe HOW women have been brought up until now. In a household in which the female figure was there to take up the maintenance chores, bring up the children, and adopt a secondary/sedentary role, this easily reflects to the society.

So we are now in a moment in which we have to strive to reorder the situation. And also to be very indulgent towards our male companions in Open Source/Free Software, as some of them are so used to the 'status quo' that don't really see anything wrong.Step by step this is a field that has to be rebalanced.

Some CONCLUSIONS (and personal opinion)

The Open Source and Free Software community, as the word community implies, is made up of individuals that come together to share ideas, create software, and have fun.
It is made up of many different people, men and women, teenager newbies, and experienced programmers, alfa and beta testers, feedback providers, gossipers, users, students, professors, man writers, artists, hardware hackers, tutorial creators, kernel gurus...

Now, as in any society, the gender issue is an important one. And even more when what we are trying is to create a balance in the situation.

Same that in our world, where we are half men/half women, it is a matter of time that every aspect of life and relation (and of course computing) will achieve this natural equilibrium.

Moreover, in my opinion, there's no basic difference between women and men when we are dealing with a subject such as GNU/Linux, hacking a kernel, writing documents or computing activities. Like in the internet: the gender is undefined. We mainly deal with ideas, with software.

So sex (which is vital for another thing, mainly the continuation of humankind, and of course, the pleasure and the ludic aspect of it), can be taken apart in a situation like hacking. We are genderless here sitting in front of our desktops; we are genderless in IRC, in the newsletters, in the mailing-lists, in usenet, requesting for comments, browsing the internet...

We gain at last a gender in the LUG, in the meetings, in the conventions, speeches, events. Then we come back home, and we are again the person, the hacker, the developer.

So these gender issues in Free Software Development will quickly dillute, as soon as we realize the absurd of the situation.

Other Resources and Links

http://www.expositorymagazine.com/maleprivilege_checklist.htm is a great article, written by a man, which describes some of the privileges that men receive in every field and are unaware of.
(The link seems to be broken, if you kept a copy or know of a mirror, let me know)

http://www.linuxchix.org: Home of LinuxChix, a site devoted to promoting women in open source software. LinuxChix runs a set of mailing lists, with users everywhere from just learning to install Linux up to kernel developers and documenters.




More To Come

More to come - Watch This Space!

But listen to me about the sunscreen.