NPC: Must Be Comfortable…:Sexism, Job Ads, and “Culture”

11 Mar

Today on NPC Gamer I wrote about the problem with sexist job culture, specifically in the gaming industry, but, really, pretty much anywhere. What it boils down to is that, especially in tech industries, but also in STEM fields and academia, women and minorities are expected to adjust in order to accommodate white (usually straight) men–to be willing to be “comfortable” with “informal jokes” (read: sexism) or to accept the comments of sexist superiors without fuss because that’s just part of the “culture” in a male-dominated workforce. This applies just as much (if not sometimes more) to people of color or queer persons who are entering a predominantly straight, white, and male arena; if the minority party feels threatened or uncomfortable, it’s because they don’t “fit,” not because there’s something wrong with the workplace culture.

Riiiiiiight.