[Scale-planning] SCALE 13X Call for Papers Questions

[Jenn Waterman]

Hi everyone,

I'm so glad this topic has been raised because I think it could be valuable
in the long term! Phil mentioned:

"I would like us to gather this optional data and publish the
statistics. I hope
that this will encourage others to do so as well. Doing that will shed light
on the problems we have and the problems we don't have, and enable all of
us to work together."

I agree, Phil!

One of the constant refrains in technology is that there are not "enough"
women (how many women are "enough" women, one wonders); at tech conferences
there are not "enough" women and there is not "enough" diversity in
general. A great starting point in solving these problems or at least in
understanding them better seems to be in gathering some relevant data. (For
example, when we say there are not "enough" women in technology, it's
important to think about questions like, "How many women are graduating
with degrees relating to technology?" "How many women are applying for
technical jobs?" "What percentage of women are in leadership roles within
the field?" ... These questions can help to identify what the true
obstacles may be, weeding them out from opinions and hyperbole.)

I think that it could be important and relevant to gather this information
not only for SCALE -- because this would be really useful information to
have when answering questions about the diversity of the event, which is a
topic that always, always comes up -- but for other conferences as well.

I have seen a huge increase in diversity at SCALE over the years but it
seems to be an area that always needs improvement. We can't move forward
meaningfully without first identifying the areas that truly need
improvement. Also, it's just really interesting to gather data.

Now what can be done to address the question of whether or not "enough"
geeks attend? :)

- Jenn
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