Women in AgileAgile 2014

Diane Zajac-Woodie :: @AgileSquirrel Doc Norton :: @DocOnDev

Name That Gender

The first step to defeating our hidden biases is to be honest with ourselves about the blind spots we have. Having a bias is only human.

Dr. Mahzarin Banaji

Empathy GapWe underestimate the feelings of others going through something that we are not or have not gone through.

Familiarity HeuristicThe familiar is favored over novel people, places and things.

Stereotype ThreatWhen members of a group are made aware of a negative

stereotype, they are more likely to perform according to that stereotype.

“I am _________”(Use Positive, Descriptive Words)

Imposter Syndromeand Women

Women in the Workplace

Girl, Interrupted

Listener BiasOur perception that women talk more causes us to overestimate

how much women actually contribute to conversations.

Girl, Ignored

Girl, Ignored

Girl, Diminished

Girl, Overlooked

Girl, Vilified

Girl, Vilified

John is a confident leader whose command, conviction, and great passion guarantee him success.

Janet is an arrogant leader whose domineering behavior, stubbornness, and frequent emotional outbursts keep her from success.

Girl, Silenced

Are Agile Teams Different?

Retrospectives

Exercise

Stand Up Pair Programming

Estimation Iteration Reviews

Stand Up

Estimation

Pair Programming

Iteration Reviewsa.k.a. Product Demos

What can you do?

Stop Interrupting Women(or anyone for that matter)

Seek Different Perspectives

Ask Her

Practice Gender FlippingWould you say that to a dude?

Stop Reminding Women That They are Women

Use Gender Neutral Language

Where appropriate

Use Gender Neutral Language

HE HIM HIS

SHE HER

HERS

THEY THEM

THEIR(S)

The first step to defeating our hidden biases is to be honest with ourselves about the blind spots we have. Having a bias is only human.

Dr. Mahzarin Banaji

The only shame is in making no effort to improve.

Women in AgileThank You!

Diane Zajac-Woodie :: @AgileSquirrel Doc Norton :: @DocOnDev

References/Credits

• http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/Outsmarting-our-brains/$FILE/EY-RBC-Overcoming-hidden-biaises-to-harness-diversity.pdf

!• http://dora.wikia.com/wiki/Dora_Marquez !• http://bitchmagazine.org/post/adventures-in-feministory-

what-women-can-be-on-sesame-street !

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empathy_gap !• http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/01/showbiz/tv/tv-kids-self-

esteem !• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Familiarity_heuristic !• Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg http://leanin.org/

!!

• http://www.academia.edu/806308/The_role_of_stereotype_threats_in_undermining_girls_and_womens_performance_and_interest_in_STEM_fields !

• http://www.ncwit.org/sites/default/files/resources/impactgenderdiversitytechbusinessperformance_print.pdf

!• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/10-words-

every-girl-should-learn_b_5544203.html !

• http://www.rolereboot.org/life/details/2014-07-5-simple-ways-men-can-better-respect-women/ !

• http://junkee.com/flip-it-and-reverse-it-how-to-fight-the-gender-wars/15081

Images

• http://www.mashpedia.com/Mahzarin_Banaji !

• http://www.parenting.com/article/real-difference-between-boys-and-girls

!• http://www.gamezplay.org/2011/10/kinect-sesame-street-tv-

fact-sheet.html#more !• http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-

CL822_justic_G_20140421184947.jpg !• http://poshnicki.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/my-trip-to-

the-toy-aisle-girls1.jpg?w=300&h=168 !• http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/

jcpenney-promotes-im-too-pretty-to-do-homework-shirt/2011/08/31/gIQAxFD4rJ_blog.html

• http://www.vt.edu/spotlight/impact/2009-05-18-skelton/M_photo5.jpg

!• http://sorayachemaly.tumblr.com/post/84061311965 !• http://blogs.versionone.com/agile_management/wp-content/

uploads/sites/3/2013/04/Daily-Standup-Landing-page21.jpg !

• http://www.jeffgothelf.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/photo-43.jpg !

• http://www.bicyclecards.com/images/uploads/news/Dogs-Playing-Poker-Game.jpg !

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agile_software_development !

• https://www.flickr.com/photos/improveit/1986907257/