Mission Local: Ashe Dryden calls harassment in tech, "an epidemic"
A journalist from Mission Local covered the Double Union event that was held in San Francisco.
“Harassment is an epidemic,” said Ashe Dryden, the first of seven speakers at the event. Dryden, a developer and advocate for diversity in the workplace, has traveled the world promoting diversity and inclusivity in tech.
Visiting from Wisconsin, she connected with the recently formed Mission feminist hackerspace, Double Union, to host Wednesday’s event off-site because its new space has not yet opened.
Like others there, Dryden is preoccupied with attrition in the tech industry and cited a study showing that 56 percent of women in tech leave the industry within 10 years and never return. That number is twice the rate of men.
“That says something about our community,” said Dryden.
Defining diversity she said, “is not just ‘where are all the women in tech’.” It means, she said, creating a tech culture that welcomes everyone.
She said businesses must work on changing an environment that can be perceived as unwelcoming.
Ashe Dryden is a programmer, diversity advocate and consultant, prolific writer,