Linguistic Injustice & Gender Discrimination

In my research, I wanted to specifically look into how language can be used to further the gender gap, i.e gender discrimination / the use of gender biased language.

What is gender biased language (or more generally what is lingustic injustice in the context of gender discrimination)?

"The European Institute for Gender Equality defines gender-biased language as a form of gender-discriminatory language. Gender-biased language is one that openly or unintentionally favours one gender over the other." (Adenle)

In the context of the gender gap in the tech industry, lingustic injustice is how those in power can use gender biased / discriminatory language to exclude women from not only conversations in the tech field, but the tech field itself. By excluding women, users of gender biased language openly favor men.

How is gender-biased language used in the tech industry?

"In the tech workplace, it has been used to establish hierarchy and reinforce status. Gendered language can be used in an unnecessarily coddling manner that is subtle in the workplace. The person at the receiving end may not be aware that they are being treated condescendingly, and they might not be able to verbalize the unease they feel." (Adenle)

What are some specific examples of the prior?

Job Postings: "Gender-biased languages have been found in job postings that discourage women and non-binary people from applying to tech jobs. "

Interview Questions: "Asking if women who are qualified for the role are interested in having children after they've been hired. No one asks men during (and after) the hiring process about their spouses or if they want or don’t want kids." (Adenle)

Gender Roles: "In a recent study conducted by Harvard Business Review, researchers found that female employees are more likely to be labeled as less talented than their male counterparts. In their report, they noted that while there were no differences in performance between female and male employees, females were viewed as less capable at work because of stereotypes about gender roles in society. " (Adenle)

Hyper-Scrutiny: "It is more common for women to use self-deprecating phrases like, “I don’t know, but…” -when they are an expert in that field - and “I may be wrong, but…” in the workplace, especially in a male-dominated one." (Adenle)

Lingustic injustice is served through the use of gender biased langauge. This language not only acts as a barrier to get into the tech industry, but is another obstacle women must face to stay in the tech industry. The interview process is already grueling, often multiple rounds of behavior and technical work -- there doesn't need to be an added challenge of facing gender biased questions.

Statistics

Here is a collection of statistics from Women in Technology:

• Only one in four roles in the GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Micorsoft) group goes to women.
• 71% of women have worked in a tech company with a strong "bro culture."
• Only 37% of tech startups have one or more women on their boards of directors.
• In 2022, the percentage of women in large tech companies sits at 25%.
• 74% of girls desire a career in STEM fields.
• Over two-thirds of females in tech constantly feel outnumbered in business meetings.
• Black, indigenous, Latin, and multiracial women make up just 6.3% of new tech hires.

Graphs

Inclusive Environment

Now that we have looked at some examples of how lingustic injustice is used to further gender discrimination, lets talk more about the importance of inclusion.

What is the importance of representation in tech?

"As our lives become increasingly intertwined with technology, the gaps in representation become increasingly apparent. Case in point: early developments of vehicle air bags were tailored for male bodies, which resulted in avoidable loss of lives among women in car crashes." (Nayyar)

"Diversity is crucial for fostering innovation and driving success. Research has shown that companies with a more gender-diverse workforce are 15% more likely to outperform their less diverse counterparts. In addition, diverse teams produce more creative solutions, benefit from a broader range of perspectives, and are more likely to retain top talent."

The increasing integration of technology into daily life reveals significant representation gaps, such as the initial design of airbags, which caused preventable fatalities. Embracing diversity, is crucial for fostering innovation, enhancing creativity, and achieving business success. (Nayyar)

Overview

Lingustic injustice enforces the gender gap in the Tech industry through creating additional barriers for women to not only get into the Tech Industry but to stay in the industry. We can see this through misleading job postings, invasive interview questions, and oftentimes hostile work environments. We need to focus on inclusion, not just for the sake of women, but to improve the Tech Industry as a whole by increasing respresentation, fostering innovation, and diversifying the voices heard.

Concrete Actions

Now we can look at the second part of the research question, being how do we use lingustic justice to forge this inclusive environment?

To wield linguistic justice to reduce the gender gap in tech, we need to reduce the gender bias in our language. One way to do this is to make gender bias training mandatory so people are aware of their biases and can take the first step to overcome them.

An example of a program that can do this is 50 Ways to Fight Bias. This program shows a brief video about what are the common types of biases that women face as well as an interactive activity that involves a variety (almost 100) instances of workplace bias,leaving it up to the participants to brainstorm solutions.