rachsmithcodes/gist:a06b4be2ab87c87d3c6253d72173745f

## gistfile1.txt
Harassment of a sexual or other nature is the worst case scenario. I'm sure you can find plenty of stories online of people in tech who have experienced this with a quick google search.
However there is so much more to being a professional developer as a non-man than harassment in the workplace.
It comes down to being treated with less respect than your male colleagues.
Thankfully I am on a team currently here I do not experience this, but I've heard countless stories of
- men repeating ideas that a woman has brought up and then being praised for that idea
- men taking credit for work a woman has done and all the other men being cool with that
- men simply *not listening* to women
- women getting turned down for jobs/promotions for being "too junior" or having not enough experience, and then a man at the same or less experience level getting the job
- women finding out they're paid less than their male colleagues in the same role
- women receiving the feedback in reviews that they are "not assertive enough" or "not technical enough" over and over again, despite their best efforts to improve
- when women are assertive, they are told they're "intimidating" or "difficult"
- women expected to do the secretarial duties in meetings, or in a development environment, women expected to be the ones to do the bug cleanup while their male colleagues are able to take on new projects

The cherry on the cake with all this stuff, especially if you're the only non-man in your team, is that all these little signs of disrespect may be obvious to you, but not obvious at all to the other men. So you're left to wonder if you are crazy/imaging it, and if you do bring it up, potentially be told you're overreacting or imagining things by your colleagues, only making you feel worse. The power dynamic of being the only non-man on your dev team is not insignificant. Some may argue you could demand the respect if you're seeing you're not getting it but those people have no idea what it feels like to be in this position.

If you're as fortunate as me you might connect with a network of women outside your workplace that can prevent the feeling that you're left alone in your situation. The downside to that is you're exposed to hearing daily accounts of the above behaviour, and you realise how tough it can be. It's a shitshow out there.
	Harassment of a sexual or other nature is the worst case scenario. I'm sure you can find plenty of stories online of people in tech who have experienced this with a quick google search.
	However there is so much more to being a professional developer as a non-man than harassment in the workplace.
	It comes down to being treated with less respect than your male colleagues.
	Thankfully I am on a team currently here I do not experience this, but I've heard countless stories of
	- men repeating ideas that a woman has brought up and then being praised for that idea
	- men taking credit for work a woman has done and all the other men being cool with that
	- men simply not listening to women
	- women getting turned down for jobs/promotions for being "too junior" or having not enough experience, and then a man at the same or less experience level getting the job
	- women finding out they're paid less than their male colleagues in the same role
	- women receiving the feedback in reviews that they are "not assertive enough" or "not technical enough" over and over again, despite their best efforts to improve
	- when women are assertive, they are told they're "intimidating" or "difficult"
	- women expected to do the secretarial duties in meetings, or in a development environment, women expected to be the ones to do the bug cleanup while their male colleagues are able to take on new projects

	The cherry on the cake with all this stuff, especially if you're the only non-man in your team, is that all these little signs of disrespect may be obvious to you, but not obvious at all to the other men. So you're left to wonder if you are crazy/imaging it, and if you do bring it up, potentially be told you're overreacting or imagining things by your colleagues, only making you feel worse. The power dynamic of being the only non-man on your dev team is not insignificant. Some may argue you could demand the respect if you're seeing you're not getting it but those people have no idea what it feels like to be in this position.

	If you're as fortunate as me you might connect with a network of women outside your workplace that can prevent the feeling that you're left alone in your situation. The downside to that is you're exposed to hearing daily accounts of the above behaviour, and you realise how tough it can be. It's a shitshow out there.