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Circumventing Discrimination

Gender and Ethnic Strategies in Silicon Valley

Hofstra University

This article compares the experiences of U.S.-born white women, Asian men, and Asian women immigrant engineers in Silicon Valley. It focuses on two particular characteristics of the region’s economic structure: the norm of job-hopping and the centrality of networks to high-skilled workers’ career livelihoods. While these characteristics might be assumed to exacerbate ethnic and gender inequality, the specific history of these groups’ entrance into Silicon Valley’s hi-tech industry enabled them to use these characteristics to their advantage in circumventing bias. The comparison of white women’s strategies to Asian immigrant men’s and women’s strategies highlights the interaction between the structure of opportunities, group histories, and network resources.

Key Words: gender inequality • engineers • flexible specialization • Asian immigrants • Silicon Valley

Gender & Society, Vol. 20, No. 2, 177-206 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0891243205285474


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