While reading about Susan Fowler’s experience at Uber, I am reminded of how often power and position can be used to silence those who speak up. So many women in male dominated fields just want to be treated with respect, so many hope their hard work will be enough to earn them opportunities. So many are discouraged when their voices are ignored. At Uber it seemed like female employees were not only dismissed but made to feel like they were the problem. Instead of protecting their workers, the company’s leaders and HR department chose to protect their image. This caused many employees to lose faith in leadership because honesty and accountability were clearly not a priority. Many people, like Susan Fowler, join companies like Uber with excitement and ambition. So when they experience harassment or discrimination and see their concerns blantatly ignored, it’s understandable that they would feel that way. Because of their gender and status, they were treated unfairly. Those in power faced few consequences. It can be very frustrating when hard work and integrity are overlooked while favoritism decides who gets ahead. I am reminded of when a teacher once ignored repeated bullying in my class, telling the victims they were “too sensitive.” Just like at Uber, it felt like the people meant to help were the ones refusing to listen.

Hensley, Nicole. “Ex-Uber Engineer Accuses Tech Company of Gaslighting Female Employees, Defending Workplace Harassment.” New York Daily News, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2018, www.nydailynews.com/2017/02/19/ex-uber-engineer-accuses-tech-company-of-gaslighting-female-employees-defending-workplace-harassment/.