Google has had a lot going on lately, and some of its most high-profile news doesn’t look great for women—especially those of color. There’s the fallout of a former engineer’s 10-page anti-diversity manifesto, the threat of a class-action lawsuit by 60 women alleging workplace sexism, and a Department of Labor investigation alleging “extreme” pay discrimination based on gender. Now, a Guardian report has detailed the day-to-day experiences of three women who quit their jobs at Google due to racial and gender discrimination.

In the Guardian article, which was published on Friday, former technical specialist Qichen Zhang; a black female former specialist who spoke out under anonymity; and former engineer Lashmi Parthasarthy shared their harrowing accounts of racial and gender discrimination at the tech giant. All three were in the minority at Google: the company is predominantly white and male, at 56 percent and 69 percent respectively, according to its website.

“I didn’t see a lot of women, especially Asian women, black women or other women of color in the executive ranks,” Zhang told the Guardian.

One pivotal moment Zhang recalled during her one year at Google was a conversation with a white male colleague. “He said, ‘It must’ve been really easy for you to get your job because you’re an Asian woman, and people assume you’re good at math,'” Zhang, a Harvard graduate, said. “It was absolutely stunning. I remember me just emotionally shutting down.”

Zhang ultimately chose to left in 2014 after more incidents that left her feeling isolated—and like there was no future for her at the company. “It’s just these little daily aggressions that really add up over time,” she said. “Having a lack of people who look like you in general is demoralizing.”

“People had this broad concept of ‘racism doesn’t exist at Google and sexism doesn’t exist at Google,'” she added*. “Just because your officemates aren’t saying racial slurs out loud doesn’t mean they’re not racist.”

The former specialist, who is black and asked to remain anonymous, experienced similar moments of discrimination. She told the Guardian that she was frequently asked for her ID on campus when coworkers weren’t; that she overheard racist jokes; and that she was negatively judged for trying to be an advocate for people of color, despite Google’s official interest in the positive PR that diversity initiatives bring to the company.

“They didn’t like the way you’re prioritizing diversity, because that’s not your role,” she said about the company. Like Zhang, she left the company for the sake of her mental health, adding that “there were times I cried at my desk.”

Zhang and the anonymous specialist quit due to their experiences with racism at work—but gender-based discrimination was a factor in another woman leaving her job. Parthasarthy, a former solutions engineer, left was because she lacked a supportive female mentor and manager. Comparing Google to a boys club, she said “it’s difficult for women to see paths for themselves at Google in tech.”

Responding in the Guardian article to these women’s experiences, Google’s director of global diversity and inclusion, Yolanda Mangolini, told the newspaper that she’s “always disappointed” hearing these stories. “We know that it’s not just about recruiting a diverse workforce. It’s about creating an environment where they want to stay.” She added: “Change takes time.”

Of course, racism and sexism are hardly limited to Google, and these experiences—as indicative of a larger problem as they might be—belong to these individual women. But when Google regularly tops the lists of best places to work, and when complimentary articles are devoted to recreating its “great” workplace culture, hearing stories like should prompt Google and other tech companies to do some deep soul-searching—and take swift, effective action.

Related Stories:
–Dozens of Women Are Considering Suing Google Over Workplace Sexism
–Google Fires Engineer Who Wrote Antidiversity Memo, Internet Rejoices
–This Viral Antidiversity Memo by a Google Employee Just Got Shut Down

Source link