IBM criticised for 'patronising' Hack a Hairdryer campaign designed to get women into tech
Some people have accused IBM of using gender stereotypes in their campaign
Computer giant IBM has faced criticism for a "patronising" campaign designed to get more women into technology and science by encouraging them to "hack a hairdryer".
A description of the campaign on the Hack a Hairdryer website reads: "Girls don't like science? Women can't code? Only men wear lab coats? It's hair-raising misperceptions like these that keep bright minds out of research labs, scrum teams and engineering tracks - leaving untold innovations on the shelf."
"It's time to blast away the barriers that women confront on a daily basis. Help us make a statement that it's not what people think of you that matters, it's how you think!"
The tech industry has a well-documented problem with the representation and involvement of women - despite women making up around 51 per cent of the population, only a quarter of the workforce in California's Silicon Valley are female.
As Facebook announced in June, only 16 per cent of staff in its technology division are female. At Google, that figure is 17 per cent. Most big tech companies have similar gender disparities among their technical staff.
IBM's campaign is attempting to fix this huge imbalance, but they've been criticised for relying on shallow gender stereotypes to promote it.
Much of the backlash came on Twitter, where some users reacted negatively.
"What a total fail, IBM. All you're doing it reinforcing female stereotypes," one wrote.
Another user said: "I don't have a pink IBM hairdryer. So now I have to become a waitress or a dog groomer instead of a pretty scientist."
One tweeter, named RebeccaDV, wrote: "IBM, no one is asking male scientists to hack beard trimmers."
Other huge companies and organisations, both in the tech world and in other sectors, have faced similar criticisms for women-focused campaigns in the past.
Last year, The Register reported on a EU campaign to get women into IT that pointed out that tech "is no longer for the geeky few," simplistically emphasising the "fun" and "cool" qualities of the industry.
And in October this year, EDF Energy faced similar accusations of patronisingly 'girlifying' a campaign to get more women into science and tech by naming it 'Pretty Curious'.
The Independent has contacted IBM for comment, this article will be updated when they respond.
Comments
Share your thoughts and debate the big issues
Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
You can find our Community Guidelines in full here.
- -1) ? 'active' : ''">
Newest first
- -1) ? 'active' : ''">
Oldest first
- -1) ? 'active' : ''">
Most liked
{{/moreThanOne}}Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
You can find our Community Guidelines in full here.
- -1) ? 'active' : ''">
Newest first
- -1) ? 'active' : ''">
Oldest first
- -1) ? 'active' : ''">
Most liked
{{/moreThanOne_p}}Follow comments
Vote
Report Comment
Subscribe to Independent Minds to debate the big issues
Want to discuss real-world problems, be involved in the most engaging discussions and hear from the journalists? Try Independent Minds free for 1 month.
Already registered? Log inReport Comment
Delete Comment
About The Independent commenting
Independent Minds Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Minds. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent minds. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. You can also choose to be emailed when someone replies to your comment.
The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Minds. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates.