It looks like an alternate universe: Ridiculously long queues outside the men’s restroom while there’s not a single person waiting for the women’s.
But while the image of men impatiently hopping from one foot to the other may make women across the nation giggle – it also reveals an issue that is no laughing matter.
The image was taken at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on Tuesday by CNET editor Dan Ackerman, who captioned it: ‘WWDC explained in one photo.’
The picture highlights how male-dominated the technology industry remains – and is just one of many similar photos taken at recent gadget conferences.
Long wait: An image of the Worldwide Developers Conference shows a queue outside the men’s restrooms but none outside the women’s. ‘WWDC explained in one photo,’ the photographer writes
Not there yet: Another image compares the ridiculous queue for men to the non-existent ladies’ line
Other images show extensive lines stretching from restrooms at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show, the 2012 Google Publishers Conference and the 2009 Big Omaha conference for entrepreneurs and investors.
The issue is so well-known within the industry that there is a Twitter account, @WomenInLine, which exists to promote women in tech – ‘so we can achieve the ultimate goal of having to wait in line at a software conference ladies’ room’.
Gauge: Tweets at the conference mention the long line – but claim there are now more women
A New York Times article noted that women own 40 per cent of the private businesses in the U.S. but create only 8 per cent of the venture-backed tech start-ups, according to Astia, a nonprofit group that advises female entrepreneurs.
Women also account for only 6 per cent of the chief executives of the top 100 tech companies, and 22 per cent of the software engineers at tech companies, according to the National Center for Women and Information Technology.
Among venture capitalists, who control the finances for a majority of tech start-ups, just 14 per cent are women, the National Venture Capital Association noted.
Where are the women? Another image taken at this year’s Google I/O reveals the same trend
Divide: Kelly Clay, a Forbes tech columnist, snapped this one at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show
At WWDC today, some attendees noted that the gender divide appears to be improving – because of the restroom line.
‘You can tell the gender balance at WWDC is getting better becayse there is a line for the woman’s bathroom,’ Gus Mueller tweeted.
But Ash Lindquist added: ‘Perks of being a female developer… No line for the women’s bathroom.’
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