Red Flag or normal? Should I apply for role at a tech company that only employs men?

Question

Maybe I'm overreacting... there is a company that I would LOVE to work for, but when I look at their team page, every single employee is a guy. Is this normal?  Should I even address this in my cover letter?

dvlpr · Answer

as sad as this might sound, i think that may be the norm in a lot of tech teams, especially in the smaller ones.

Anonymous · Answer

Why would you address it in your cover letter? I think once you go in for an interview (if it gets to that stage),and it bothers you I think you can ask about it. Like, you could say, 'I notice that there aren't many women that work here (or any) and I just wanted to see whether you think that is going to be an issue'. You can preface it by saying that you know it can be hard to grow a startup company diversely (if its a startup, which I'm assuming) or maybe the kind of tech company it is draws more men to it (e.g. its a sports focused company or a men's product etc) and that you're open to working there but just want to understand the culture better etc. If the leadership is woke, you never know -- they may be desperate for women -- and want to actively address this.

Anonymous · Answer

It is not in itself a red flag, but you should carefully gauge the culture if you make it to an in-person interview. When it comes to tech or specifically software engineering men massively outnumber women (if i recall correctly the latest stack overflow survey had a 9:1 ratio). On top of that larger companies are investing time and money to attempt to make there teams more diverse (just look at the size companies partnering with this site). This means smaller companies and startup are at a huge disadvantage when it comes to attempting to build a diverse tech team.

Anonymous · Answer

I work for a company that is in total around 18 people where I am the only female.  I thought it was a red flag too when I looked at their company page and all I saw where white men. When I did go in for the interview the guys were pretty nice so I ended up taking the position. Even though it is all men there is no bro culture or mansplaining going on. I say take a chance. You never know it might be good opportunity.

Anonymous · Answer

Wow! How big is the company though? That might help with context as to how good/bad of an idea applying would be.

BrittanyJ · Answer

Maybe there is no women there bc everyone thought the same thing as you. There always has to be a first. Don't judge too soon. I'm the only female software developer on a team of 18 and I absolutely love it. The guys are great!

Flossy · Answer

Yes!  I was taken back by the company I just joined after leaving a Mad Man culture.  I thought it was an old white guy culture.  While it was I’m part of a desired change.  I love it.  The guys are the best.  Apply ... you get into the interview process and it’s a locker room you don’t want to be part of ... that’s when you remove yourself from the selection process with that reason.  
I’d say it’s a caution flag.  Look at Glassdoor with an open mind.

fduntv · Answer

It’s normal for small teams and there is no need to see this as a reason to not apply for this job.

Cindy Gross · Answer

Unfortunately it's the norm and it sucks to be expected to fit in with their way of doing things. On the other hand, even companies that post supposedly diverse pictures on their sites are often not truly inclusive. They may hire some people who aren't straight white cis men, but those people are expected to fit into a culture designed by and for straight white cis men.

Anonymous · Answer

it sounds like a big mess to me.

Red Flag or normal? Should I apply for role at a tech company that only employs men?

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