Does the IT sector need more or fewer women?

In the eyes of one Google developer, women are less suited to working in the tech industry than men for biological reasons. Google took action and fired the man who published his opinion in a ten-page internal "manifesto". The case has also triggered debate among Europe's journalists.

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The Irish Times (IE) /

Stubborn nonsense

Science has long been clear that there are virtually no differences between the brains of men and women, states The Irish Times:

“There isn't a neuroscientist alive who can say with confidence which sex any given brain belongs to. ... Weak scientific evidence and empty theories are still being used to support troubling ideologies. Women are making enormous strides in science and engineering - yet, with some half-cocked hypotheses in their back pockets, male software engineers feel they have the right to tell them they are somehow biologically unsuited to this kind of work.”

Financial Times (GB) /

No success without women

A good mixture of male and female employees is key to a company's success, writes the Financial Times:

“Ultimately, however, arguments about absolute differences between men and women are beside the point. It is clear from history and social science that bias and inequity do have an effect on the composition of the workforce. It is equally clear that removing this bias is a commercial imperative, not just an ethical one. Changing technology and consumer needs require more diverse tech companies. ... Who designs products has a direct impact on whom the product delights and who it disappoints.”