“F**k you Xbox” and “F**k you Microsoft” were parting remarks in a series of Tweets lately, following what turned out to be a disastrous decision by Xbox to hold an after-event (GDC16) party that featured dancing girls clad in school uniforms. Unlike the majority of tech-related stories, this was one of those that broke out all over the mainstream media in the U.S. and Europe. Microsoft issued a formal apology for what it admitted was a wrongdoing, although it’s likely that those outraged by the company’s seeming misadventure may decry the attempt at conciliation as a little too little, too late.

Why was this such a big issue for Microsoft?

Verbal, or textual reparations were swiftly released by Microsoft with Xbox Chief Phil Spencer saying, “That was absolutely not consistent or aligned to our values. That was unequivocally wrong and will not be tolerated.”

In one respect, regardless of how Spencer, or Microsoft, feel towards go go dancers at events, the unequivocal response was entirely necessary. Any company, large or small, should not be seen to have created a hostile work environment for employees. Not only might this taint the image of the company, but it could very easily result in legal action. 

The chances of a behemoth company being sued over something such as this are small, but similar things have happened. ‘Hostile environments’ that become the matter of a lawsuit, according to one U.S. law firm, can happen. Lawsuits, says the same firm, have actually occurred many times relating to perceived hostility, “at a party or at the after-party not necessarily sponsored by the company.”

A dying model

The issue runs deeper than the imprudence Microsoft showed on the night of the party. Part of the outrage people (mostly women) felt was likely due to the fact that they are working in an industry renowned for being populated by mostly men. It’s also believed that historically it has been harder for women in the tech industry to get ahead and receive fair payment. Remember the backlash that followed Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella’s remarks that women should trust karma to tend to inequality in the tech industry.

Also consider the controversy surrounding ‘booth babes’ (promotional models) at mainly gaming events – only last year booth babes were banned from a security event. In fact, it seems to be coming apparent to parts of the tech industry that the ‘sex sells’ motto might not only be exclusively aimed at men, but might to some women (and men) feel like an anachronistic commodification of a female body, that has no right to be at a tech conference.

Gaming is already vastly a male-dominated industry, developer-wise at least. It’s thought that consumers are split about half/half, according to the Entertainment Software Association. In spite of this a 2015 Wired article states,”‘gamer’ identity is perceived to be a ‘male’ domain.” Game developers are mostly men (76 percent according to Fortune in 2014)  and so to encourage women to developing – now it seems ironic – last year’s GDC’s mission was to target female developers and celebrate women in gaming.

It seems obvious that to do this, to endorse this celebration of women in gaming, dancing girls and booth babes may need to exit the industry. It’s not just about dancing, or men dancing with girls, but the perception of women in an industry that must embrace equality. Prior to the Xbox party a ‘Women in Games’ lunch was held and the non-profit Girls in Games, that teaches girls how to develop games, were invited. This was later Tweeted by one of Girls in Games’ members:

“Say @Xbox, does the $ for your Women In Games Lunch come from the same fund you use to hire women dancing in their undies at your GDC party?”

An imbalance in general

The Women in Technology Project Research Report (U.K.) 2015 states, “Whilst women’s representation in the workforce has risen over the years and now stands at 46 percent however women make up under 30 percent of the ICT workforce, comprising around 20 percent of computer graduates and under 10 percent of app developers.” This is in spite, according to the same report, that females in the U.K. are outperforming men in ICT in junior and senior high school (GCSE and A-Level).

The report also states that women account for only 12 percent of people applying to take a computer science degree, and only 13 percent of those actually taking a com-sci degree in the U.K. Entering the tech industry post-higher education it seems is not something many women do at the moment. In the U.S., according to statistics, the numbers are similar, with the amount of women studying ICT actually going down over the last two decades.

It could partly be down to human nature as to why so few women choose ICT, but at the same time within the industry women have few of the leadership roles compared to men. While large tech companies have been attempting to diversify their staff, Apple and Intel, to name just two, the fact they are doing that is probably a factor in why go go dancers caused such outrage that night.

According to the American Association of University Women, equally qualified women earn 78 percent of what equally qualified men earn. The gender pay-gap is an ongoing issue, and one that crosses over into many industries. Any issues that seem to point to inequality, or sexual harassment, are bound to easily explode.

Sexism in the Valley

It’s also been said that in the male-dominated world of tech women sometimes feel stigmatized, which could lead to less women in tech attending networking events, social occasions, or even rounds on the golf course.

In a recent survey, interviewing mostly women holding high positions (25 percent: CXOs, 11 percent: Founders, 11 percent: venture) who have been working in the tech industry (mostly in Silicon Valley) more than a decade, found that over 60 percent of respondents said they had suffered some form of sexual harassment. 88 percent said they had experienced bias when doing business because of their sex; 66 percent said they had felt excluded from company events; 90 percent said they had experienced sexism at company off-sites or industry conferences.

Bearing this in mind, hired dancers in school uniforms (all female) at an game developers after-party could be seen as perpetuating a sexist environment; an action perhaps not so unethical in itself (sexualized dancing, besides in the movie Footloose, is still generally acceptable form), but one that nonetheless does not evoke a feeling of inclusion. Perhaps what Microsoft did wrong was not just hire dancers, but not hire enough women. Whether you blame Microsoft for this, or put it down to a way of the world, is open to debate. It is, however, probably unfair to say that young developers that night behaved badly because they danced with faux-school girls.

Companies want to attract developers to their platforms, and of course when the majority of developers consist of young, white males, this kind of dance floor titillation might seem like a good idea. But it wasn’t in the wider scheme of things, and Microsoft had to apologize. If companies are sincere about employing a more diverse demographic then such impolitic advances towards attracting the best minds may have to change. We might hope that dancing, sexy dancing, does not always merit an apology, and that outrage is spared in the future when work, event, party, are all places all sexes or all races, feel they are equally treated and valued. Outrage is multi-dimensional, so rather than just look at the action itself that provoked the anger, we should focus as much effort on understanding its genesis.

Photo credit: craftivist collective via Flickr