New documentary asks: Why are there so few women in tech?

The documentary “CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap” is a sweeping view of Silicon Valley’s gender disparity, but at the center of it is one simple question: Where are all the women in tech?

While the tech industry has spent the past year wringing its hands over what to do about its dismal numbers of women, “CODE” director Robin Hauser Reynolds has been investigating the root of the problem, seeking out companies like Etsy that are already taking steps to solve it.

The Chronicle chatted with Reynolds in New York, where the film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival this week. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: Over the past year or so, the tech industry’s gender problem went from being an open secret to a topic of public discourse. What inspired you to make a documentary about it?

A: My daughter was studying computer science in college. She was one of two women in a class of 25. Even in entry-level classes, she felt that the men in the class had a much stronger knowledge of (computer science) than she did. By her sophomore year, she was convinced she “didn’t fit in” and that she wasn’t cut out for computer science. She called home discouraged. At the same time, newspaper articles across the country touted the importance of (computer science) if you wanted job opportunities when you graduated.

The White House issued a report that by 2020 there would be 1 million unfilled computer science related jobs in the USA. I was interested in this supply/demand imbalance.

Q: In the film, you interview Pax Dickinson, a tech executive who is well-known for his derogatory comments about women. He sort of apologizes for offending people, but doesn’t ever acknowledge his comments were inappropriate. Why give his voice a place in the film?

A: Pax is a perfect example of the type of attitude that is prevalent in the tech industry. “I didn’t take it seriously,” he says when he refers to (the app) Titstare. He doesn’t feel like he has done anything wrong. It was all a joke to him. To me, this is very telling.

Q: The film was also produced by Blake Irving, the CEO of GoDaddy, which is known for its misogynistic advertising.

A: Blake started working at GoDaddy just under 2½ years ago — it was his predecessors who were responsible for the misogynistic TV ads. One of the first things Blake did was change the advertising to portray women as smart, successful small-business owners. Blake’s modus operandi was always to change this corporate perception. I figured if Blake can change the corporate image and culture of a company like GoDaddy, then anyone can change their image and culture. It’s inspiring. I brought him on board for exactly this reason — to show that change is possible.

Q: Did your assumptions about why there is a gender divide in tech change while making the film?

A: At first we thought women were not being hired. That there was some sort of latent bias toward female software engineers. This is partly true, but the bigger issue is that there were few women to hire. It’s a cultural issue that has a lot to do with stereotypes and mind-sets.

Q: A lot of the girls and young women in the film talk about how tech seems like it’s only for boys. How pervasive was that point of view?

A: It’s huge. The stereotype of a computer science programmer is a guy who wears glasses and hoodies, is antisocial and codes all night in the basement.

There are few modern-day female role models in tech. Far too few. Megan Smith (chief technology officer of the United States) and Marissa Mayer (Yahoo CEO) are fabulous role models, and we need more. Same goes for people of color in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). You cannot be what you cannot see, right?

Q: The film suggests that coding should be a core subject in schools. How should coding be integrated into the curriculum?

A: Computer science needs to be integrated into every classroom. It can be in math, science, history and art.

Q: What do you think is the biggest issue facing women in tech right now?

A: It’s really hard to name just one. Stereotypes and cultural biases.

Q: What are the lessons you hope people take away from watching it?

A: We didn’t want our audience to leave the theater completely discouraged. We wanted people to jump out of their seats and want to learn to code. We want educators to reconsider how they teach. Do they have unconscious biases toward girls? We wanted men in the audience to think about their workplace behavior and how they treat their female and minority co-workers.

We were not interested in making a film that pointed the finger of blame without sending the message that we all have biases and we can all do our part to help narrow the gender gap.