Memo of Google software engineer on women sparks backlash at the firm

A Google employee’s memo blaming “biological differences” for the lack of women in top jobs has sparked a backlash at the firm.

The internal memo, written by a male software engineer, argues that the under-representation of women in the technology sector is not simply due to bias and discrimination.

Instead, he writes: “We need to stop assuming that gender gaps imply sexism.”
The employee at Google’s headquarters in California goes on to say that women are generally more interested in “people rather than things”.

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The 10-page memo, published by tech website Gizmodo, adds: “We always ask why we don’t see women in top leadership positions, but we never ask why we see so many men in these jobs. These positions often require long, stressful hours that may not be worth it if you want a balanced and fulfilling life.

“Status is the primary metric that men are judged on, pushing many men into these higher paying, less satisfying jobs for the status that they entail.”

The author adds: “On average, men and women biologically differ in many ways. These differences aren’t just socially constructed.”

The unnamed author also claims women generally “prefer jobs in social or artistic areas” while “more men may like coding”

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