Hypothesis: Women like Being Minorities in the Tech World

At the last Mass TLC Unconference, I hosted a session on the lack of women at startups. An alarming number of women under 30 said they felt another woman tried to bar them from joining and staying in the Boston tech scene.  Having experienced being on both ends of the spectrum, I want to explore the notion that women currently in the startup scene may not want new women entering the scene. Are we stunting our growth? I know of many women in the Boston tech startup scene that do not attend networking events, and when they do, they are planning it for their startup company or going to one of the numerous startup parties in Boston. Why are new women not taking part of the startup scene as eagerly as men? Here are some reasons we may be hurting ourselves:

Feeling of Entitlement

Any woman in the Boston tech startup scene had to work very hard to get to where she is today. She probably dealt with a lot of crap from her friends, family, men in the startup scene and is finally where she wants to be. Now that she’s there, she feels she “paid her dues” and no other woman has. Because of these feelings, she will be cold towards other women, hoping they will leave the tech scene. If you prove to these women that you are staying in for the long run, Usually if a woman keeps coming to these events, the hostility will clear and she will at least be nice to you.  You only need to prove to these women you will be in the Boston Startup Scene for the long run.

Identity

Being the only woman at networking events gives you an automatic identity of the only woman. When other females are present, however, that identity disappears and you are no longer one-of-a-kind. I feel some woman want to hold onto this identity instead of differentiating themselves in other ways. This need to hold onto the identity makes them hostile to other woman new to the Boston tech startup scene.

Attention

We have to admit, being one of the only women in the Boston tech startup scene will give you countless press opportunities and renown in the Boston area. Every time someone wants to point to an example of a woman in the startup scene, a small circle of women are used over and over and over again. Once more women are in the Boston tech startup scene, the features will get less frequent and those women will have to relinquish the spotlight.

I don’t want to draw generalizations – I’ve had plenty of women also help and mentor me through my successes and failures.  I do see a problem, however, with the 20-30 year old range and the lack of women staying in the Boston tech startup scene after having negative experiences coming to networking events once or twice.

What do you think? Are women hurting the chances of more women joining the Boston tech startup scene?