By Elizabeth Vargas, Founder, Edge Music Network
When the historic 2012 gender-discrimination suit filed by Ellen Pao against Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers finally came to an end last March, it served as a bad omen for outspoken women in male-dominated industries far beyond the field of technology. In the landmark case that riveted both genders across the USA, Kleiner Perkins’ junior partner, Paom sought $16 million+ in damages for discrimination and retaliation from the Silicon Valley venture capital firm renowned as an early investor in Google and Amazon. During the 24-day trial in San Francisco, jurors heard Pao’s claims that firm had promoted male partners while disregarding females who were equally qualified—including herself—and held double standards for aggressive women. When the jurors voted in Kleiner Perkins favor, it was an ironic confirmation of Pao’s testimony on the witnessed stand that “the behavior that we exhibited was not acceptable [for] us, but it was acceptable for men.”
While Pao may have won in the court of public opinion by provoking an important conversation about gender bias and double standards, inside of the courtroom she lost on all counts. Pao’s response to the verdict, published by re/code, served as a cautionary tale rather than an encouraging declaration. However, as she stated: “I am now moving on, paying Kleiner Perkins’ legal costs and dropping my appeal. My experience shows how difficult it is to address discrimination through the court system.”
Disrupting Traditional Power Structures
When it comes to the tech industry, those indoctrinated into the “meritocracy” have come to understand that double standards are, well… a standard. Last month Wired published an article by Davey Alba, A Year After The Ellen Pao Verdict, Tech Still Gets Diversity Wrong, in which the author notes that since the verdict came down in March of 2015, workplace diversity discussions have quieted despite sweeping policy announcements by tech companies demonstrating a commitment to make progress in gender balance and bias. She points to the “day-to-day injuries that, in aggregate, cause women and minorities to leave. And this isn’t confined to the tech sector. It happens everywhere traditional power structures are firmly in place—so much of America.”
As a female CEO and founder of a high-tech music video network, I can attest to the challenges of being a woman in the innovative sector of technology, not to mention the notoriously male-dominated music industry. Facing not one but two fields where double standards abound, there have been countless times I could have crumbled under the weight of what others experienced as the final straw in their promising careers. Perhaps I am an anomaly, but I’ve never let those experiences jeopardize my success. To be clear, I have often experienced that overwhelming feeling of disrespect, particularly digital partners have tried overcharge me because they presumed I didn’t know better, or when tech teams assume they must dumb down their language to communicate with women like me who are embarking on a startup in the app space. But instead of getting angry or frustrated, I rose to the occasion and challenged them with educated responses, which became invaluable armor. Once they realized I wasn’t just guessing, they took the locks off the doors and let me in.
Bypassing the Gate Guards
There’s no doubt it takes more than stubbornness to bypass the guards at the gate, but as a woman who has always been told she thinks like a man, I find the backhanded compliment almost comical considering that I have been told I am “not a good listener and maybe I should learn how to shut my mouth more often.” Regardless of any masculine tendencies I have exhibited in the past or the present, it took me years to be taken seriously, particularly with people who concluded that because I had a wealthy spouse I was the stereotypical trophy wife who could pursue whatever dream struck her fancy. Admittedly, I was one who could take a $45,000 loan from my husband instead of getting one from a bank, but I put in those years of hard work and persistence not because I needed to prove myself but because I could. I’ve even had people insinuate that I have slept my way to the top. Particularly for people who lack confidence or are just too afraid to take the road less traveled, it’s far easier to imagine that a woman of my ambition must be doing something sinister to achieve her goals rather than working hard—and smart.
Winning the Intimidation Game
Most female leaders agree that the hardest part about running an organization is getting their male subordinates to accept that fact that they are the boss. In the best-selling book, Innovating Women: The Changing Face of Technology, compiled, written and edited by researcher Vivek Wadhwa and journalist Farai Chideya, more than 500 women, including Chief Technology Officer of the United States, Megan Smith, chronicle their personal journeys in achieving their goals in technology and other fields despite many obstacles. Their stories underscore the challenge of being a female leader in male-dominated fields, which above all includes resistance to their authority.
In a study published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, research suggests that men act more aggressively toward female bosses to protect their masculinity. Just how aggressive can they get? Two of my CTOs embezzled a significant amount of money from my company, assuming as a “dumb female” (which I saw in an email) I would never find out about it. When I did catch them, one of the men came close to physically assaulting me right in the middle of the office. Using intimidation to set me straight, he went so far as to call me a “dumb wench” in front of my staff. But intimidation is a familiar game and one that I have refused to play time and again. Even when walking into a room full of men who refuse to acknowledge my presence, I stay centered and focus on the words of my strong and powerful mother who told me to “never take no for answer. When you want something, never give up, and when you walk into that room, never think you’re any different from those men.”
As a music industry insider and technology pioneer, the best advice I can give to any aspiring female who dares to chart her own course is this: If you’re going to get in the game, then play the game with all your heart… and learn to win fairly and squarely. Low self-esteem will destroy you. So will secrets. In the end, whatever you choose to do, own it. Don’t apologize for being brave and courageous. And admit when you’ve made a mistake. Learn from it and move on. Don’t be a spark. Be the flame that burns through inequalities and leave an indelible trail of dust that boldly leads other women in the direction of their dreams.
ABOUT ELIZABETH VARGAS:
Elizabeth Vargas is the founder and CEO of Edge Music Network, an interactive digital music network providing live and on-demand content through a gamified video syndication platform. After studying jazz vocal and music theory at Cornish College of the Arts and attending Bellevue University to study international business and media technology, Vargas combined her passions and pursued a career in the music industry. She has decades of experience architecting and brokering digital rights agreements between content creators and publishers to ensure equitable revenue share and royalty distribution and has worked with industry leaders to fight for fair compensation structures to keep the music alive—all of which paved the way for Edge Music Network. With deep working knowledge in content licensing and distribution, as well as strong industry partnerships, Vargas acquired the content libraries of some of the largest music publishers in the world to bring to life the Edge Music Network app that gives artists the royalties and respect they deserve while giving fans access to the music they love—anytime, anywhere, from any device. EMN is currently available to download in the Apple ITunes Store and will soon be available on Google Play. Visit www.edgemusic.com for more.