Last Updated Aug 7, 2017 7:51 PM EDT
LONDON -- Silicon Valley faces another tempest over the status of women in the work place, this time at Google (GOOG).
The search giant's new head of diversity has rejected an internal commentary from an employee who suggested women don't get ahead in tech jobs because of biological differences.
Danielle Brown, who was named a vice president at the search giant only a few weeks ago, said Google is "unequivocal in our belief that diversity and inclusion are critical to our success," according to a copy of her response obtained by technology news website Gizmodo.
The employee memo, titled "Google's Ideological Echo Chamber," begins by saying that only honest discussion will address a lack of equity.
But it also asserts that women "prefer jobs in social and artistic areas" while more men "may like coding because it requires systemizing," fueling a smoldering debate about sexism in Silicon Valley.
"I'm simply stating that the distribution of preferences and abilities of men and women differ in part due to biological causes and that these differences may explain why we don't see equal representation of women in tech and leadership," the memo stated, according to Gizmodo. "Many of these differences are small and there's significant overlap between men and women, so you can't say anything about an individual given these population level distributions."
The employee was described in news reports as a software engineer. The employee's identity has not been released.
Google, like other tech companies, has far fewer women than men in technology and leadership positions. Fifty-six percent of its workers are white and 35 percent are Asian, while Hispanic and Black employees make up 4 percent and 2 percent of its workforce, respectively, according to the company's latest diversity report.
While the issue of diversity is getting a lot of attention in Silicon Valley, these numbers are barely changing. But the companies say they are trying, by reaching out to and interviewing a broader range of job candidates, by offering coding classes, internships and mentorship programs and by holding mandatory "unconscious bias" training sessions for existing employees.
But, as the employee memo shows, not everyone at Google is happy with this.
The issue of gender has long roiled California's technology sector. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Labor accused Google of underpaying female employees, saying it found "systemic compensation disparities against women" at the company.
In another controversy, a former female engineer's claims of widespread sexual harassment at Uber in June led the ride-hailing firm to fire more than 20 employees.
In another incident, venture investor Dave McClure was forced to publicly apologize for making "inappropriate advances" toward several women in workplace situations.
2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Continue reading here:
Google worker says women don't advance in tech because of biology - CBS News
- Host change alters toxic cocktail - March 19th, 2011 [March 19th, 2011]
- Integrative Biology 131 - Lecture 01: Organization of Body - August 27th, 2011 [August 27th, 2011]
- Systems Biology Lecture 1 - August 27th, 2011 [August 27th, 2011]
- Biology 1B - Lecture 24: Phylogenetics - August 28th, 2011 [August 28th, 2011]
- Biology 1B - Lecture 28: Evolutionary Medicine - Published ! - August 28th, 2011 [August 28th, 2011]
- 1. Introduction to Human Behavioral Biology - August 29th, 2011 [August 29th, 2011]
- Bill Nye: 100 Greatest Discoveries : Biology (Discovery Channel) 3/3 - August 31st, 2011 [August 31st, 2011]
- Introduction to Biology - 1 - What is Biology? - August 31st, 2011 [August 31st, 2011]
- What is Biology? - September 3rd, 2011 [September 3rd, 2011]
- Biology 1B - Lecture 16: Population Genetics I: Mendel, Darw - September 3rd, 2011 [September 3rd, 2011]
- Bill Nye: 100 Greatest Discoveries : Biology (Discovery Channel) 2/3 - September 4th, 2011 [September 4th, 2011]
- Biology 1B - Lecture 3 - September 6th, 2011 [September 6th, 2011]
- Biology: Proteins: Amino Acids - September 8th, 2011 [September 8th, 2011]
- Girls Aloud - Biology - September 9th, 2011 [September 9th, 2011]
- Biology 1A - Lecture 3: Cell structure and organization -#1 - September 10th, 2011 [September 10th, 2011]
- Biology 1A - Lecture 2 - September 11th, 2011 [September 11th, 2011]
- Biology of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias - September 11th, 2011 [September 11th, 2011]
- Bill Nye: 100 Greatest Discoveries : Biology (Discovery Channel) 1/3 - September 11th, 2011 [September 11th, 2011]
- What is Biology - Part 1: Lecture 1.1 - September 12th, 2011 [September 12th, 2011]
- Lec 1 | MIT 7.012 Introduction to Biology, Fall 2004 - September 15th, 2011 [September 15th, 2011]
- (Notes On) Biology - September 17th, 2011 [September 17th, 2011]
- Biology Introduction - September 18th, 2011 [September 18th, 2011]
- Biology 1B - Lecture 10: Paleoecology and Hominid Ecology - September 20th, 2011 [September 20th, 2011]
- Zen Biology Lesson for Enlightenment - September 20th, 2011 [September 20th, 2011]
- Biology: Mitosis: An Overview - September 23rd, 2011 [September 23rd, 2011]
- Synthetic Biology: Drew Endy - September 24th, 2011 [September 24th, 2011]
- ATP: Adenosine Triphosphate - September 26th, 2011 [September 26th, 2011]
- Biology 1B - Lecture 13: Conclusion - September 27th, 2011 [September 27th, 2011]
- Biology 1AL - Lecture 1 - September 30th, 2011 [September 30th, 2011]
- Biology 1A - Lecture 7: Cell membrane structure and transpor - October 1st, 2011 [October 1st, 2011]
- Biology 1AL - Lecture 4: Lab 5: Complementation I, Genetics - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Pilobolus: A performance merging dance and biology - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Molecular Biology's Central Dogma - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Biology 1A - Lecture 15: The Laws that Govern the Inheritanc - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Biology 1B - Lecture 1: Introduction to Ecology - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Girls Aloud - Biology Live At Wembley - October 4th, 2011 [October 4th, 2011]
- Lec 1 | MIT 7.014 Introductory Biology, Spring 2005 - October 7th, 2011 [October 7th, 2011]
- The New Biology - From Victim to Master of Your Health - October 7th, 2011 [October 7th, 2011]
- Synthetic Biology Explained - October 7th, 2011 [October 7th, 2011]
- Andrew Hessel - Introduction to Synthetic Biology - October 7th, 2011 [October 7th, 2011]
- Foldit: Biology for gamers - by Nature Video - October 7th, 2011 [October 7th, 2011]
- Bruce Lipton - Biology of Perception 1 of 7 - October 12th, 2011 [October 12th, 2011]
- Biology 1B - Lecture 15: Darwin and the Origin II - October 12th, 2011 [October 12th, 2011]
- Girls Aloud - Biology - Video - October 13th, 2011 [October 13th, 2011]
- Biology 1A - Lecture 14: How Somatic Cells - Mitosis - and G - Video - October 13th, 2011 [October 13th, 2011]
- Dna Molecular Biology Visualizations - Wrapping And Replicat - Video - October 13th, 2011 [October 13th, 2011]
- The Biology Song - Video - October 14th, 2011 [October 14th, 2011]
- What is Biology? - Video - October 14th, 2011 [October 14th, 2011]
- Lec 2 | MIT 7.014 Introductory Biology, Spring 2005 - Video - October 14th, 2011 [October 14th, 2011]
- Biology 1A - Lecture 19: Gene Expression II - RNA is transla - Video - October 15th, 2011 [October 15th, 2011]
- Biology 1B - Lecture 14: Darwin and the Origin of Species I - Video - October 15th, 2011 [October 15th, 2011]
- Biology 1A - Lecture 1 - Video - October 15th, 2011 [October 15th, 2011]
- Integrative Biology 131 - Lecture 18: Lymphatic System - Video - October 20th, 2011 [October 20th, 2011]
- biology - nuclear transfer (clone creating) - Video - October 20th, 2011 [October 20th, 2011]
- Introduction to Biology - Video - October 20th, 2011 [October 20th, 2011]
- Biology 1A - Lecture 1: Course introduction. Introduction to macromolecules. - Video - October 23rd, 2011 [October 23rd, 2011]
- Bruce Lipton - Biology of Perception 2 of 7 - Video - October 23rd, 2011 [October 23rd, 2011]
- Seinfeld - Marine Biologist - Video - October 27th, 2011 [October 27th, 2011]
- Biological Classification: Kingdoms - Video - October 28th, 2011 [October 28th, 2011]
- A Biologist's St. Patrick's Day Song - Video - October 28th, 2011 [October 28th, 2011]
- A Biologist's Mother's Day Song - Video - October 30th, 2011 [October 30th, 2011]
- Biology 1B - Lecture 28: Fungal diversity and reproduction - Video - November 2nd, 2011 [November 2nd, 2011]
- Learn Biology: Ecosystem Definition - November 5th, 2011 [November 5th, 2011]
- Learn Biology: Gregor Mendel Biography - Video - November 6th, 2011 [November 6th, 2011]
- TEDxCaltech - J. Craig Venter - Future Biology - Video - November 8th, 2011 [November 8th, 2011]
- Biology 1B - Lecture 31: Origin of land plants - bryophytes - Video - November 8th, 2011 [November 8th, 2011]
- Practical biology - The Thin Blue Line - Video - November 8th, 2011 [November 8th, 2011]
- Dr. Karin Remington on Computational Biology - Video - November 14th, 2011 [November 14th, 2011]
- Bully-Soundtrack Biology Class - Video - November 14th, 2011 [November 14th, 2011]
- From Chemtrails to Pseudo-Life- The Dark Agenda of Synthetic Biology. SLIDE SHOW - Video - November 14th, 2011 [November 14th, 2011]
- ROUTINE OF EXERCISES TO LOSE WEIGHT WITH THE BIOLOGICAL AND DOMESTIC GYMNASTICS OF LUIS MORI - Video - November 14th, 2011 [November 14th, 2011]
- Biology 1B - Lecture 7: Trophic Dynamics and Biogeography - Video - November 14th, 2011 [November 14th, 2011]
- Plant Tissue Arrangement in Organs (AP Biology) - Video - November 14th, 2011 [November 14th, 2011]
- BIOLOGICAL GYMNASTICS OF WEIGHT'S REDUCTION BY LUIS MORI-YEAR 2012 - Video - November 14th, 2011 [November 14th, 2011]
- From Chemtrails to Pseudo-Life: The Dark Agenda of Synthetic Biology (FULL LENGTH VIDEO) - Video - November 14th, 2011 [November 14th, 2011]
- Pre-AP Biology - Unit 5.12 - Translation.mp4 - Video - November 14th, 2011 [November 14th, 2011]
- Marine Biology Research @ Clark U - Video - November 14th, 2011 [November 14th, 2011]
- Major in a Minute: Biology - Video - November 17th, 2011 [November 17th, 2011]
- Bruce Lipton - Biology of Perception 3 of 7 - Video - November 17th, 2011 [November 17th, 2011]
- Biology: Carbohydrates: Monosaccharides - Video - November 17th, 2011 [November 17th, 2011]