If you have ever thought to yourself “gee, there certainly are a lot of men speaking right now,” there’s now a very useful tool for you to figure out exactly how much space men are taking up in a conversation. (If you have never thought to yourself “gee, there certainly are a lot of men speaking right now,” then you are probably a man who is speaking right now, and you should maybe consider letting a woman speak.) The “Are Men Talking Too Much” meter was designed by Chicago-based developer Cathy Deng and is very straightforward: Underneath the question “who’s talking?” there are two buttons: one for “a dude” and one for “not a dude.” Click accordingly, and the meter will generate how long men are talking and how long women are talking, along with a percentage that reflects exactly how much men are dominating the conversation.
Try it during a work meeting. Try it while watching television. Try it while watching a Zack Snyder movie, and you’re bound to get a super high percentage. Try it while tuning into the DNC. Men certainly seemed intent on squawking over Elizabeth Warren and other female speakers at the convention last night. Even at diverse panels and events, men often end up doing a lot of the talking. Are Men Talking Too Much challenges what representation really means.
Here’s what Deng has to say about the project on GitHub:
“When people talk about diversity & inclusion in tech, they often count bodies – what % of women at this company, what % women at an event, etc. But…inclusion is more than who’s in the room. Often, in rooms that seem diverse, men still dominate conversations to a large extent.
I’m exploiting the mantra of “what gets measured gets managed” – hopefully, measuring participation can highlight disproportionality & ultimately make room for more voices.”