title: Actively excluded
url: https://gomakethings.com/actively-excluded/
hash_url: 09449904abd3fdbb0663fc8b76325d87

<p>Back in August, <a href="https://twitter.com/jelenawoehr/status/1429220531195240461?s=20">Jelena Woehr shared this on Twitter</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
<p>They’re not “male dominated” industries, they’re “industries from which women and non-binary people are actively excluded.”</p>

<p>“Dominated” implies there was, at some point, a fair competition.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>It may seem like a little thing, but to be honest, this reframing matters a lot.</p>

<p>A lot of folks justify <em>male-dominated</em> industries by saying bullshit like “women just aren’t as interested in STEM” or “men are just better at coding.” <a href="https://gizmodo.com/lets-be-very-clear-about-what-happened-to-james-damore-1822160852">It allows very smart idiots to justify sexism and racism with “science.”</a></p>

<p>I’ve started using “actively excluded groups” or “people who have been traditionally excluded” instead of phrases of like “marginalized” and “under-represented.”</p>

<p>The first two phrases call the situation what it is. The second two sugarcoat it.</p>

<p>If we want things to change, we need to be honest about what’s happening.</p>
