Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login

The tech industry, for all it's faults and transgressions, is still a relatively progressive industry (emphasis on RELATIVE). "Old money industries" have been getting away with this type of behavior for decades, if not centuries. Women in those jobs probably see no point in reporting it or coming forward. Why would they? It's not going to make headlines that the secretary at Goldman Sachs gets propositioned for sex by top executives. She's just going to lose her job, in all likelihood.

So I would argue, it isn't that those industries have less flagrant sexual harassment. It's that you just don't hear about it. It doesn't make headlines.




I would say the tech industry is one of the few industries where a tight labor market means workers have power. When they have power, they are more likely to speak up about abuse and know that they will still be employable.


I'm not sure it's that they're more "progressive" but that seems to point in the right direction. My own thought is that tech has relatively more "white knights" and also relatively more people willing to look at their actions affecting the world, even if it's sometimes a distorted view of changing it with a milk startup or whatever. Letting these things slide creates an uglier world to live in, whereas in other industries there's probably acceptance of the way things are or just a sense of being able to switch industries.

Currently I wonder which side will end up dominating tech culture or if we'll remain at war. Some companies have to send out memos telling people to cut out the sex in the stairwells. Others just don't hire any women and try to make sure they're not discriminating in a way that's illegal (not that hard with "pipeline" arguments, at least for core tech positions). And then others have some balance, and make it work or result in drama like this story.


See Wolf of Wall St for most vivid example. I'll also add it's extremely common in sales all over the country. Especially telemarketing, phone sales, boiler rooms, and so on. A large number of women I've talked to over the years in those positions say it's crazy. That movie even brought flashbacks for at least one I talked to who told me of huge parties with barbeque, pools, drugs, and tabs for employees for beer and hotel rooms. I actually went to the first half of one of that company's parties at her invitation. Too crazy and too many hard drugs for me so I left. I've seen similar stuff at corporate offices of what you'd consider boring industries where on the executive or senior level they'd waste company money on parties with dates, secretaries, hookers or whatever. Nowhere near as extreme as the Wolf but same problems.

So, yeah, I have probably over a hundred anecdotes especially in sales but in general saying the right-leaning, ultra-capitalist areas have a lot of it nobody cares to report. Plus, it gets worse in "right to work" (aka fire without cause) states where there's limited job availability or the man/woman being harassed has been at company so long them not getting a reference can be held over them. Lots of reasons not to report.


The other side of this coin is that many people have sex at work. So when a guy/gal comes in and sees this is the MO they may try to participate.


There's sex at work, but there's also just many relationships that start or get set up at work and lead to marriage. Put men and women together in an environment that already cements a shared general interest and you're going to see that. People who treat every fellow employee the same as an amorphous blob are operating under a strange way of viewing the world.




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2025 batch! Applications are open till Aug 4

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: