RightsCon Toronto 2018

We’re living through a sea change when it comes to the harassment of women. There is rarely a day that goes by when a new case of sexual harassment is not on the cover of global newspapers. Indeed, major figures in media, entertainment, technology, and politics have had to step down over allegations of inappropriate behavior towards female colleagues.
 
In many ways, technology and women’s rights are uncomfortable bedfellows. Silicon Valley is notoriously dismissive of women in the workplace and women are often the targets of bullying and harassment on technology platforms. Indeed, a recent survey found that nearly all of the 200-plus senior women in tech who responded had experienced sexist interactions while at work. And yet, technology provides a platform for women that has largely been absent. This platform has contributed to the largest march for women’s rights the US has ever seen and to the spread of the #MeToo movement which has forced a global realization of the scale of abuse facing women.
 
As such, while technology companies themselves have been implicated in the harassment of women, could the industry be a key player in the fight for equality? This session will focus on the steps technology companies can take to ensure they become positive players in the women’s rights movement.