The slides from the LugRadio Live USA talk (April 2008). The video of this talk is available on Google videos. This presentation is also being delivered at LRL UK (July 2008) and at OSCON (July 2008).

1. Form an orderly queue, ladies
how to really get more women involved in FOSS
emma jane hogbin

2. aboot, eh?
I am IAM

3. 1995: I discovered the Internet

4. BSD, OSX
Debian, Mepis, Ubuntu

5. Linux Counter # 316906
LinuxChix
WebGrrls
Ubuntu Women
Debian Women
Drupal Chix

6. Drupal
drupal.org/user/1773
morten.dk

7. HICK Tech
is the rural and
modern technology
conference

8. I am an average geek with a very
heavy dose of enthusiasm.
I am not a man.

9. LinuxChix
WebGrrls
Ubuntu Women
Debian Women
Drupal Chix

10. WTF

11. My vagina is not relevant to the
functionality of my computer or
any other computer.

12. <serious>

13. This is a difficult topic.

14. Glass Houses
Saving Feminist Anti-Violence
I’ve read
Agencies from Self-Destruction
Rebekkah Adams
a lot.

15. I’ve tested social boundaries.
I’ve pissed people off.

16. I’ve asked questions in
tech communities, feminist
communities and a room of a few
hundred teenage girls.

17. I’ve struggled with the question:
does this gender thing really matter?
I continue to struggle.

18. My future:
world domination of FOSS.

19. </serious>

20. Form an orderly queue, ladies!
A presentation in four parts:

21. 1. Where we are now.
2. A new way of thinking.
3. IRL: a “case study”
4. Steps to change.

22. Where we are now.

23. Proprietary Developers

24. FOSS Developers

25. 72% of proprietary developers are male
98.5% participants of FOSS projects are male
Source: FLOSSPOLS

26. Normally we focus on the
behaviour of men to explain the
lack of women in technology.

27. Appropriate behaviour is
described in HOWTO Encourage
Women in Linux.

28. There are 26 rules of engagement
described in the document.
(Perfect for my inner aspie.)

29. DON’T ...
Don’t tell sexist jokes.
Don’t call people bitches.
Don’t take the keyboard away.
Don’t make sexual advances towards women.
Don’t complain about the lack of women in computing.
Don’t stare and point when women arrive.
Don’t treat women stereotypically.
Don’t criticize too much.
Don’t invite only male speakers.
Don’t micro­specialize.
Don’t make your meetings hard to attend.
Don’t make new people feel unwelcome.
Don’t underestimate girlfriends or wives.
Source: HOWTO Encourage Women in Linux

30. DO ... Do protest sexist jokes.
Do show some respect.
Do give directions and explain them clearly.
Do act friendly.
Do encourage women in computing.
Do treat new arrivals politely.
Do treat women as normal people.
Do compliment.
Do ask women to speak.
Do discuss broader topics.
Do make meetings easy to attend.
Do help new people get involved.
Do treat girlfriends and wives as independent people.
Source: HOWTO Encourage Women in Linux

31. Summary
Don’t be a dick.
Do encourage participation.

32. Humans are social beings.

33. FOSS is social:
IRC and mailing lists
encourage interaction.

34. Many interactions
end up feeling
awkward.
Photo by: Malingering (Flickr)

35. At the age of 8,
I thought this
was hot.

36. Hint.

37. “God gave men
brains larger
than dogs’ so
they wouldn’t
`
hump women’s
legs at cocktail
parties.”
Kate Libby, Hackers
Photo by: Malingering (Flickr)

38. “I hope you don’t screw
like you type.”

41. Is Kate being sexist?
Does Randall use Wikipedia?
Is it ok to mangaze the man?

42. Can we all laugh now?

43. See the future:
world domination of FOSS.

44. A new way of thinking

45. Ubuntu Bug #1
Microsoft has a
majority market share.

46. Market share means end users.

47. End users? yawn.

48. Proprietary software has:
more end users; and
more developers.

49. The challenge
of Bug #1:
switching
brands

50. Two­thirds of women are
likely to switch brands
“based on a good cause.”
(vs. 15% of men)
Washington Business Journal

51. Women make more than 80% of
buying decisions in all homes.
Business Week

52. Women research extensively and are
less likely to be influenced by ads.
Business Week

54. “Women place more importance
on brand characteristics and
personal assistance from
store personnel and experts
than men do.”
International Mass Retail Association

55. FOSS is self­serve.
And FOSS is free.

57. It’s time to
engage differently.

60. 1. Identify the strengths of FOSS.
2. Determine real needs.
3. Focus your efforts.

61. Strength:
FOSS is free.

62. Charities tend to
employ a lot of
women.
Stan

63. Show a local charity how to
spend less money on software.

64. Strength:
FOSS provides freedom.

65. Seniors can
get trapped
into routines.
neonmanifesto

66. Help them escape.

67. Affect the next generation.

68. Strength:
FOSS is alternative.

69. Put a stack of Ubuntu CDs
in your local sex shop.
Good For Her, Toronto

70. Advocacy, however, is
not an overnight solution.

71. But like a one­night stand, the
effects of one presentation can
change a person’s life.

72. IRL

73. “Women tend to socialize
a lot more ...”
Peter Cooper

74. “Perhaps they don't really want to
(or need to) use conferences as a
social outlet?”
Peter Cooper

75. Based on my experience:
women are workshop junkies.

76. Quilting Bees
acnatta

77. Scrapbooking retreats
picsbyathena

78. Women pay to attend
social gatherings
about interesting topics.

79. Charging a fee forces a
commitment to participation.

80. Increasing the cost will
increase the perceived value.
Larry Dotson

81. HICK Tech
is the rural and
modern technology
conference

82. HICK is
How the Internet Connects Knowledge

85. FAIL

86. jack o’ lantern: 2040 feet

87. HICK Tech
is the rural and
modern technology
conference

88. It is an ideas­focused,
end user conference.

89. HICK Tech empowers women to
talk about technology.

90. female registrants
male registrants
0 5 10 15 20
2008 Registrants

91. Some women even bring their
husbands to the conference.

92. 3 3
1 2
2
2 2
W: 18 presentations
M: 18 presentations
3
2007 Speakers

93. W: 10 presentations
Keynote presentation M: 12 presentations
Wrap-up moderator
2008 Speakers

94. Marketing HICK Tech to women
increased overall participation.
And they registered early!
(2/3 of early bird registrants were women)

95. Five Steps to Change

96. 1. Live in the future.

97. Be a real person on­ and off­line.

98. Behave as if you were
already surrounded by women.

99. Work on the main team of FOSS
projects, work together on
advocacy solutions.

100. 2. Do one thing different.

101. If we have conscience on every
daily action, we can change the
“mainstream” conceptions.
Claudia Lulkin (environmental and social activist)

102. Start by opening one window
for one person.
Getting a friend to use Firefox and OpenOffice.org counts as two.

103. `
3. Ask for help.

104. Ask women
to be role models.
www.geekspeakr.com

105. Ask men to help
make change happen too.
(Thanks LRL for making the effort to get female speakers!)

106. 4.
Empower people
to make foolish mistakes.

107. Empowerment
eliminates fear.

108. Beowulf Grendel
VW Advertised:

109. Beowulf Grendel
I stalled three times leaving the garage
and no one took away my keys.

110. 5.
Clearly
transfer authority.

111. Women are used to consuming
technology. We are not used to
being in the driver’s seat.

112. Encourage women to question
Encourage
the software given to them.
Ask women how to improve it.
Ask
Teach women to change reality.
Teach

113. 5 Steps to Change
1. Live in the future.
2. Do one thing different.
3. Ask for help.
4. Empower people.
5. Clearly transfer authority.

114. Keep your eye on the prize:
world domination of open source software.

115. We are 50% of the solution.

116. Thanks, eh?
Creative Commons (flickr.com) More photos:
acnatta (quilting bee) www.punkinchuckin.ca
● ●
bebulaki (open window) xkcd.com (getting out of bed)
● ●
hypatia & good for her (sex toys) xkcd.com (shopping)
● ●
hockey and more (stanley cup) www.flickr.com/emmajane
● ●
iamiam (canadian flag) huge-large corporations who
● ●
library_mistress (reference librarian) may or may not have allowed
●
new1mproved (girls jumping into a lake) me to use their images
●
neonmanifesto (card game)
●
julphotos (woman looking into camera)
●
malingering (dog humping leg)
●
morten.dk (drupal socks)
●
picsbyathena (scrapbooking)
●
steve patterson (nature journaling)
●
obtuse (Red Hat Society parade)
●
sliqua (red hat dude)
●
yougotrickrolled (poster in bedroom)
●
thomashawk (Red Hat Soc + other)
●
welshboy (man climbing fence)
●
stan (working at laptop)
●
wowstanley (female police)
●
shefaet (learning chess)
●
jeff brick (new volkswagons)
●