A New Survey Reveals That Most Men in Tech Don’t Think Sexism Is a Big Deal

Ladies, eye roll with me.

Pew Research Center has confirmed what we know: The majority of men in tech don’t think sexism is a big deal.

Nor do they perceive a higher prevalence of sexism in tech compared to other industries. Of course, they may be right about that.

The research isn’t groundbreaking. The results neatly follow the patterns seen in the perceptions of gender discrimination in society as a whole. In a 2015 survey, Pew found that, consistently, fewer men than women believed sexism was a barrier for women to achieve top leadership positions in business and politics, across generations and party lines. In a 2014 survey, Pew also found that 65% of women said there is at least some discrimination against women in society, while only 48% of men shared that view.

The results don’t change the reality that the perception imbalance lies at the crux of the sexism problem. Men, apparently, still aren’t listening to women, but they overwhelmingly dominate leadership positions and consequently can influence efforts to stamp out or perpetuate gender discrimination.