This semester I wrote my seminar paper on women in hacking, and the misogyny they endure. As I began investigating the nuances of hacker culture, I was very surprised by all the BS faced by female hackers. Hacking, to me, always seemed like the kind of space that accepted nearly everyone. The common trop is that hackers are misfits, or the underprivileged. Why wouldn’t women be accepted into that fold?
Turns out, hackers are living in a hypocritical world. They are obsessed with perfecting systems but their own is deeply flawed. They preach acceptance and equal opportunity but treat women as accessories or inferior.
My research led me to the discovery of female hacker collectives, and hacker spaces. These are groups and places designed to be safe spaces for women to do their thing, without fear of being treated like a piece of meat. Check out this video from Flux Hackerspace about women, hacking, and hacker spaces.