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Happy Hump Day 🐪
In the tech industry, we’ve noticed a recurring phenomenon - one that feels eerily familiar to the world of Severance. We call it the Innie & Outie Dilemma.
Your Outie, the version of you that exists outside of work, is told:
💡 "The industry values women."
💡 "We believe in equal pay."
💡 "Diversity isn’t just a buzzword here."
Your Innie, the version of you that exists inside the office, experiences:
⚙️ Being spoken over in meetings.
⚙️ Having your ideas ignored, only for a male colleague to present the same idea five minutes later.
⚙️ Watching another all-male leadership team get announced. Again.
It’s as if these two realities exist separately, never to meet. As if the promises made to your Outie were never meant for your Innie. But unlike Severance, there is no implant keeping these worlds apart. We, as women in tech, see the gaps and feel the contradictions.
So, the question is: When will companies stop asking women to split themselves in two?
If your workplace has truly “solved” gender diversity, ask your Innie what she thinks. Because waffle parties, mentorship programs, and glossy DEI reports aren’t enough if the foundation remains broken. Bandaid solutions won’t fix a systemic problem. The gender gap in tech is the result of policies, cultures, and hiring practices that, intentionally or not, push women out.
So what’s next? We urge companies to move beyond performative gestures and get to the root of the problem:
Audit your hiring pipeline: Who is getting through? Who isn’t? Bias isn’t just about who gets hired, but who gets screened out. At Toast, we strip identifying information from resumes to help companies focus on skills.
Interrupt bias in meetings: Create a culture where credit is given where it’s due. Don’t let good ideas disappear until a male colleague repeats them. When a woman shares an idea, back her up in real time. Try:
💬 "Like [her name] said, that’s a great point."
💬 "I want to build on [her name]’s idea—let’s explore it further."
💬 "Great suggestion, [her name]. Let’s make sure it’s captured."
Redesign work for equity: Flexible work, parental leave, and sponsorship (not just mentorship) are key to retention.
Promote with purpose: If women aren’t moving up, the problem isn’t them - it’s the system. Stop waiting for them to over-prove themselves.
Because if companies truly want to close the gender gap, they can’t just perform inclusivity for the Outies. They need to build workplaces where the Innies thrive.
Cheers,
Team Toast 🥂