While many members of the tech scene—both men and women—espoused equality and meritocracy during the period of my study, they simultaneously reenacted and reinforced sexist stereotypes about women in technology through their own talk and practice. Women’s contributions to the scene were undervalued or attributed to men, women were systematically sexualized and judged on appearance, and structural sexism was denied. This lopsided description of women’s roles discourages women’s participation in entrepreneurial technology, creating fewer female role models and mentors for younger women and thus perpetuating the low rates of women in technology.

Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, loc. 693