Discussion on question by Morgan Meredith: What's the least distracting method to inform editors I'm a woman?

So... basically the question is "How do I cash in on my minority status without getting caught" ?

If I were you I would only focus on writing good content so you get featured because of what you do rather than who you are.

I'm discouraged but not surprised at how every single comment and answer treats blatant sex and racial discrimination by these companies as good. Morgan, I don't blame you at all for taking advantage of the situation. But I am saddened that the ideal of treating people equally regardless of group membership has been generally discarded. Can you imagine the reaction if you had said, "Many companies place priority on white, male, straight writers, so I want to disguise the fact that I'm a woman"? Are racism, sexism, and the like really only bad if directed at groups other than our own?

@MorganMeredith You are asking how you can take advantage of an employer's diversity policies to stand a better chance over a male. So clearly males are more likely to care whether or not this is appropriate to be asking so blatantly. That's what I meant by flipping the tables...the rest of your comment seems unnecessarily provocative.

There are no two ways about it. You are asking how you can utilise your gender for your own personal gain. I don't blame you, fighting fire with fire can be an effective solution. Keep in mind what you are doing will not help sexism, it will only help yourself, and will probably in fact only contribute more to sexism issues. I can't stress enough that I would be doing the same thing, though.

This was insulting for me be. Ask yourself if you really need those extra points and if are willing to tell people you actually need those points. And won't you regret that once you retire? Will you be absolutely sure all your achievements in your work were because you were that good or simply because you were a woman?

@Thomo @Thomo In Morgan's original question she states, "so they place priority on people of color, women, LGBTQ writers, and so on". How is "placing a priority" on people based on race or gender anything other than a euphemism for discriminating against people who are not in the "priority" groups? If an employer said they don't discriminate against people of color, they just "place a priority" on hiring white people, we would justly charge them with racist hiring practices.

Have you ever asked yourself why the tech industry is so full of white and Asian males? Maybe they are just good for this job? You want to get extra points for just being born a woman? Why so you think is this fact relevant to your writing? If you are good and work speaks for itself- keep it the way it is.

The thing is... ignoring the obvious sexism: the question is not about writing. As a very new member of this forum, I'm not qualified to say it's off-topic, but it's certainly offensive at least in a fairly broad sense.

A comment on a question is to ask for clarity in the way it's formatted, not to place your political beliefs about the merit of the practice mentioned in the question. So no, it does not belong.

@MorganMeredith I'm sure you have realized by now, that this debate is not specifically about you :)

@EdmundReed "The tables are turned"? I didn't realize that asking how to make my pitches clearly originating from a demographic that editors are specifically looking for did that - I didn't realize my single question was powerful enough to place women at the heads of almost all tech companies, VCs, and political bodies, and allow them to tell men they belong at home, while telling them they're cute for asking for more money. That's cool!

@MorganMeredith That really shouldn't be surprising considering most feminists are female. Quite obviously when the tables are turned it will be males who express displeasure. Not that interesting of an observation in my opinion.

@JPhi1618 You never heard of Morgan Freeman?

@MorganMeredith My answer was not a solution, it was a comment on the question and answers given. That's why I made it a comment rather than an answer. And, though you disagree with it, it does belong here.

@JPhi1618 It is true that in the US in recent history it tends to be more of a feminine name than a masculine one, though it has at times been in the top 300 boy names. behindthename.com/name/morgan-1

This comment is not exactly an answer, but a suggestion: if you don't like "Ms." perhaps you can become a member of an all woman advocacy group or all woman contest, "Women In Tech" or "Women Writers Of America" or you participated in the "Women SciFi Challenge". (I made all those up). Find a way to list them on your credentials or past work. (I didn't do any research, so I didn't make this an answer, but it is an idea to pursue.) Alternatively, in a previous job, perhaps you were the first woman to occupy the position and could mention that.

Maybe I'll even start one of the ones you made up, Feel free. Then your credential is "President and Founding Member," :-)

@JonasBezzubovas Not really the place for this discussion, but there can be good reasons to boost the visibility of diversity. One of the more notable is that it is encouraging for people within a particular demographic who might have otherwise joined/applied/submitted but went elsewhere because they feared implicit bias against them.

@called2voyage - I understand your point, I just find delicious irony in attempting to reduce implicit bias by implicitly being biased

Many email clients have profile photos (Gmail, Outlook) Have you added a picture to all those?

@MarkMeuer This question is not about discrimination, nor is it about taking advantage of anything. The tech industry is looking to diversify, and rightly so. It's proven that opinions and influences from different cultures, sexes, and so on greatly contribute to a company's efficacy and its bottom line. Regardless, I asked a very specific question, and whether or not you agree with my motivation for doing so, your comment is not an answer or solution by any means, and doesn't belong here.

@AlanCampbell Once again, it's not about diversity above competence. If I had the same portfolio and same competence as a man submitting for the same column, in general in the US I'd be hired less often and paid less. The intent of diversifying the industry is to change that. Yes, a LGBTQ man with the same portfolio may have an equal shot if the company is seeking diversity.

@Thomo Yes, but there is a difference between a bias toward a minority when the minority and majority are otherwise equal and a bias toward a majority, even if the minority is better (which is the implicit default). In the first case, there will still likely be more of the majority just because that is statistically likely.