Diversity is an essential aspect of software development because technology influences almost every aspect of modern society, and if the software industry lacks diversity, software products might unintentionally constrain groups of individuals instead of promoting an equalitarian experience to all. In this study, we investigate the perspectives of transgender software professionals about a career in software engineering as one of the aspects of diversity in the software industry. Our findings demonstrate that, on the one hand, trans people choose careers in software engineering for two primary reasons: a) even though software development environments are not exempt from discrimination, the software industry is safer than other industries for transgenders; b) trans people occasionally have to deal with gender dysphoria, anxiety, and fear of judgment, and the work flexibility offered by software companies allow them to cope with these issues more efficiently.
翻译:多样性是软件开发的重要方面,因为技术几乎影响现代社会的每个方面。如果软件行业缺乏多样性,软件产品可能会无意中限制某些群体,而非为所有人提供平等的体验。在本研究中,我们探讨跨性别软件专业人士对软件工程职业的看法,这是软件行业多样性的一个方面。我们的研究结果表明,一方面,跨性别者选择软件工程职业的两个主要原因:a)尽管软件开发环境并非完全免受歧视,但相比其他行业,软件行业对跨性别者更安全;b)跨性别者有时需要应对性别焦虑、恐惧和对他人的评判担忧,而软件公司提供的工作灵活性使他们能够更有效地应对这些问题。