But in the memo, Damore criticized the company’s diversity policy and the role of women in the workforce and argues that the company’s efforts to include women in the tech industry are misguided. He further stated that the lack of women in the tech industry is due to psychological differences between men and women, not because of sexual bias.

 

The reason that a number of tech creators have taken a step back from technology is that the distraction that it causes. It’s difficult to be productive in a world where the products people own are designed to be addictive, and cognitive neuroscientists suggest that technology promotes superficial reading, a term used to describe how brains have become accustomed to skimming information online and reading very short content such as tweets. And experts are concerned that this may effect long-form reading and processing ability. 

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The company swiftly dealt with the controversy by firing Damore. But this isn’t an isolated belief within the tech industry. For years, many have referred to Silicon Valley and the tech industry as a “boys club” that isn’t always welcoming to women. Some women have even made allegations that tech executives traded favors for unwanted sexual contact. As reported by TechCrunch, female employees have alleged that a Silicon Valley party turned sexual, and those in attendance said it was implied that participating meant better job opportunities.   

 

Unfortunately, sexual misconduct in the office is not uncommon. One doesn’t have to look far to see a number of cases like Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby. Women have faced pushback and mistreatment since becoming a larger part of the workforce over the last century. This has essentially doubled the number of people competing for jobs as women are now seeking employment in traditionally male-dominated roles like engineering and development, which is likely why there has been pushback from the industry, as some may fear it creates more job scarcity and feel they may be passed over for positions. And like Damore claimed, some think that women aren’t psychologically equipped for some types of work.

 

But is this a justified worry? Most likely not. It’s true that women are more likely to attend university and hold a college degree, but if someone is passed over in favor of a degree holding woman, they likely would have been passed over by a degree holding man. More employers are looking for candidates that hold college degrees and that happens to be women, so the fear that some in the tech industry hold is unfounded. There is not a bias in favor of women. It’s simply a preference for college graduates. And statistically speaking, women handle the pressure of breadwinning well as now women are primary or sole earners in 40% of households. Additionally, the world currently has the highest number of female government leaders in history.