Ask HN: Why would someone look for a female CEO?

1 pointsWnZ39p0Dgydaz16y ago3 comments

I just got an email from someone looking for a female CEO. I'm not female, so I don't understand why I got contacted in the first place, but it made me really curious:

What is the reason that someone would specifically be looking for a female CEO? Is this normal in the US? Isn't this the same as someone looking for an [insert race here] CEO? It this even legal?

I'm sorry if this questions comes off as offensive or naive, I know it's a sensitive topic in the US, but I truly don't understand.

3 comments

3 comments · 3 top-level

jahn7166y ago

The recent political climate in the US has made factors like this major considerations for people to have. Whether it's right or if it's just fashionable for the moment, I'll refrain from making a judgement on whether it's normal. But it's certainly becoming a thing as there are more public conversations about equality and fairness.

To be fair, it's increasingly a topic in Europe as well. Or at least in France where I currently live. Sure, it's not as in your face as in the US. But there is increasingly more public discourse on diversity and what equality means/should mean. Point is, I think it's now more a global phenomenon than just the US.

recrudesce6y ago

Sounds like a company who wants to hire a female CEO so they can be one of those "LOOK HOW DIVERSE WE ARE" companies that like to shout about it at every given opportunity to be fashionable or in the news.

Controversial Opinion Time: Hire the right person for the job, don't look for a specific gender or ethnicity to meet some arbitrary quota.

sharemywin6y ago

I don't think it's legal. Much better language.

We're an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.