Women in Open Source

On 8 March, we celebrate International Women’s Day

IWD 2022’s theme is #BreakTheBias. It would be helpful in its lead-up to look at gender diversity in tech. Today, I’m taking a look at open source in particular.

Back in March 2021, /* Academy Software Foundation posted an article titled “The Truth about Women in Open Source” by Nithya Ruff. I found this encouraging and informative. The article details some stereotypes we have about women’s involvement in open source, and goes on to evaluate their truth and where some more work needs to be done to bridge gender gaps.

The article finishes with several resources that aspiring open source contributors might find helpful.

I also found it helpful to read up on Nithya’s biography here in a write-up on Behind the Tech.

If like me you identify as female and work (or used to work) in tech, what would you agree with, or disagree with, in Nithya’s article? Also, have you ever worked in open source, and what was your experience like?

Image credit ThisIsEngineering from Pexels.com.