A team of Korean women is stepping up to combat the macho culture in Silicon Valley.
Silicon Valley, the capital of high-tech and start-up companies, has shown in recent history that it has its dark side. A series of sexual harassment cases have come out of Silicon Valley recently and two Korean women currently working in the region have launched a website “Better Brave” to fight against gender discrimination at workplaces.
The site has already been covered by prominent media outlets, including the Huffington Post and Mercury News.
“Better Brave” was founded last month by Tammy Cho, 22, and Grace Choi, 25, who have worked as product manager and designer for software company Meltwater.
The website receives reports from victims and witnesses of sexual harassment cases among women who work in Silicon Valley. It provides services including how to respond to sexual harassment at work as well as connecting victims to lawyers.
Only after a month since its launch, “Better Brave” has already garnered 200 reports from victims who have suffered from sexual harassment in the region.
“I heard about the story of Uber engineer Susan Fowler and how she has been sexually harassed,” said Cho. “It got me so angry about the reality. There was no system or regulation in Silicon Valley for women to depend on, so we’ve decided to do it ourselves.”
“Better Brave” has partnered with California’s employment lawyer Devin Coyle to provide a guideline on sexual harassment.
In reality, the issue of sexual harassment within Silicon Valley has reached a critical level. This is an alarming sign to today’s younger generation, as many dreams of entering Silicon Valley to reach their dreams.
In a recent research conducted by The Elephant in the Valley, at least nine in every 10 female respondents working in Silicon Valley said that they have witnessed sexual harassment at work, while 60 percent of them replied that they have been victims themselves. In addition, 65 percent replied that their immediate boss inflicted sexual harassment.
Critics explained that the reason behind the rampant sexual harassment in Silicon Valley stems from the industry’s male dominance.
The rate of CEOs in Silicon Valley is only at 21 percent in comparison to the nation’s average of 36 percent, according to PayScale. Only 7 percent of Silicon Valley’s venture capitalist firms are partnering with a female.
“There are many start-ups here, so there’s a lack of protocol when something like sexual harassment occurs at a workplace,” said Sophia Choi, 24, who works for a start-up in Silicon Valley. “There are more men than women here as well, so it’s easy for women to become victims. I’ve seen it happen firsthand here.”
Recently, BetterWorks CEO Chris Duggan had to step down from his post after sexually abusing a Korean-American employee at the company. Prominent Silicon Valley investors Dave McClure, Justin Caldbeck and Travis Kalanick also resigned after harassment claims.
“Businesses looking to enter Silicon Valley must be aware of the dangers of workplace sexual harassment,” said employment lawyer Hae-won Kim. “Parents of young women who are dreaming of working in Silicon Valley should introduce them to BetterBrave to better prepare them for a future reference.”
By Yeol Jang
