Highlights from Elephant in the Valley research on gender discrimination in Silicon Valley was presented at the Anita Borg Institute's partner conference

1. Elephant in
the Valley
Slaying the Elephant
Trae Vassallo
Michele Madansky, Ph.D.
May 5, 2016

2. Our backgrounds
Trae:
• Investor,
entrepreneur,
engineer
• Former partner,
KPCB
• Mom of three
Michele:
• Market
researcher,
consultant
• Former VP at
Yahoo!,
advertising
executive
• Just went on
college tour with

3. The Impetus… Ellen Pao vs. Kleiner Perkins

4. The Impetus… Ellen Pao vs. Kleiner Perkins

5. The Impetus… Ellen Pao vs. Kleiner Perkins

6. Survey Design and Methodology
• Project team includes VCs, academic, product, marketing,
entrepreneurs
- Ellen Levy, Hillary Mickell, Monica Leas, Julie Kay Oberweis,
Bennet Porter
- emails were sent to list of women compiled from core team
of senior women (10+ years experience, director or above)
• 200+ women responded
- 3 in 4 aged 40+; 3 in 4 moms
- 25% CXOs, 11% VCs, 11% founders, 11%, 11%

7. Topics Discussed
• Feedback and Promotion
• Inclusion
• Unconscious Bias
• Motherhood
• Harassment and Safety

8. • 9 in 10 women witnessed sexist behavior at
company off-sites or industry conferences (from
colleagues of either gender)
- 5 in 10 have witnessed this multiple times or
more frequently
Sexist Behavior
“At annual sales conference once, all the men gathered in the suite of the head of
sales, drinking late into the night and then all shaved their heads as a bonding
exercise.”
“Egregious example: Getting taken to Hooters for lunch. ‘Death by a thousand cuts’: male manager orders pitchers of
beer but no other drinks at offsite. Offsites are all very physical activities, but I'm pregnant.”

9. • 6 in 10 women reported that they had been
subjected to unwanted sexual advances in the span
of their career
Big Headline… Sexual Harassment
21%
15%
15%
44%
41%
31%
13%
16%
19%
21%
29%
35%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Colleague
Client
Superior
Frequency of Unwanted Advances
(among those who had been subjected to them)
Multiple occasions/Frequently A few times Once Never

10. Sexual Harassment – Actions Taken
Worked around him, spoke to law enforcement,
Spoke to peers, publicly embarrassed him18%
1%
10%
23%
32%
19%
31%
32%
39%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%
Other
Took legal action.
Spoke to HR.
Spoke to my direct supervisor.
Spoke directly to the person who was harassing me
to address the issue.
Nothing, I was too embarrassed.
Nothing, I didn’t think that reporting this would
make a difference.
Nothing, I just wanted to forget about it.
Nothing, I was afraid this would negatively impact
my career.
Actions Taken
(among those who had been subjected to unwanted advance)

11. 5% 4%
14%
9%
33%
27%
38%
31%
11%
29%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
your course of action company's course of action
Satisfaction with course of action (among those who took action)
not at all satisfied
not so satisfied
somewhat satisfied
very satisfied
extremely satisfied
Sexual Harassment – Resolution?

12. • 29% signed a non-disparagement clause
• Mandatory arbitration
• Fear of retribution
Why Don’t We Hear More About This?

13. 54%
19%
27% 23%
32%
30%
34%
37%
28%
37%
16%
47%
36%
49%
32%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
"You are too
aggressive"
"You are too
quiet"
"You are too
emotional"
"You are
difficult to work
with"
"You are too
bossy"
% who received the following feedback
multiple occassions + once/a few times Never

14. Unconscious Bias
• 2 in 3 have felt excluded from key
social/networking events because of
their gender
“There is a VC networking group called
‘alpha’ as in male, of which I am the only
female member and was ‘invited’ only after
specifically asking. VCs have fly-ins, fly-
fishing trips etc. to which only guys are
invited.”
“This happens all of the time. I am not
invited to dinners, happy hour, golf and
other social events.”

15. Unconscious Bias
18%
22%
34%
19%
23%
23%
49%
39%
32%
13%
16%
12%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Heard demeaning comments from male
colleagues
Clients/colleagues make eye contact with
my male peers, but not me
Clients/colleagues address questions to
my male peers that should be addressed
to me
Frequency of Experiencing Situations
a few times/month or more once a month less often never

16. Impact of Family
have taken a shorter maternity leave then
they were entitled to because they thought it
would negatively impact their career
52%
“I don't keep photos of my kids on my desk
any more.”
“I was asked during fundraising meetings
‘how do we know you're not going to run off
and have a baby?’”

17. Impact of Family
38%
30%
36%
47%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
other
passed up for a promotion
been excluded from specific meetings/events
so as not to interfere with "family time"
not considered for certain assignments
How do you think that being a parent and/or taking maternity
leave has impacted your career?
“I was taken out of the company's
'high potential' pool while on
maternity leave.“
“Re-orged my directs while on leave
and had to in the 11th hour fight to
keep my same duties.”

18. 7 in 10 women have heard demeaning comments
from other female colleagues
Most Troubling Stat?
“I think women can be harsher on other
women in this field because there are only
so many spots at the top. “
“I had two female colleagues who
suggested I try to look ‘less pretty’ to be
taken more seriously. One suggested a
breast reduction. That was humiliating. “

19. Elephant in the Valley Struck a Chord

20. 600+ stories submitted on the site
Elephant in the Valley Struck a Chord
“I am so excited to have an opportunity to
write about women’s experiences in the IT
world.”
“Only by telling our stories can we make
change happen.”
“Thank you for doing this research. Sorely needed. I have lived/am living through all of
these issues (hell) for the last five years. I would contend that these issues are worse
than ever. I have a 15 year old daughter who loves science and math (excels at both)
and she knows some of what I’m living through and fighting against, it is disheartening
to her.”

21. Invited to Keynote at SXSW

23. • SXSW Interactive sent an email to registered
participants with a link to the survey
• Respondents were younger (half under 40)
• 40% with children (vs. 75%)
• 73% middle management or below
• Wider geographic distribution
SXSW Survey – Elephant in the Valley

24. SXSW Survey – Elephant in the Valley
Metric Elephant in the
Valley
SXSW Respondents
Subjected to unwanted sexual
advances
60% 60%
Have been told “you are too
aggressive”
84% 73%
Have been told “you are too
quiet”
53% 54%
Have been asked about
marital status, family life and
children during interviews
75% 54%
• 74% of SXSW respondents agreed “I am less well
compensated than my male peers”

25. • Other groups leveraging survey among
demographics/geographies/industries
• Academia, advertising
• Increased overall dialog in Silicon Valley
• Specific project outreach (documentaries, book
projects)
• Conversations around women’s access to
entrepreneurial capital
• New companies focusing on identifying gender bias
What Has Come Out of Elephant in the
Valley

26. • Elephantinthevalley.com
Questions/Discussion
traevassallo@gmail.com
@trae
michele@michelemadansky.com
@michmd