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Diversity in free software: No longer at square one
Marina Zhurakhinskaya
Free software overall remains remarkably undiverse, with the latest GitHub survey finding that only about 3% of contributors are women, but communities that are making an effort to improve diversity are seeing results. Learn about several major efforts over the last seven years that have had an impact: Outreachy, the Ada Initiative, Python community outreach, the Women in Open Source Award sponsored by Red Hat, and a track at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. Hear about emerging trends, such as efforts being made to reach people from a broader set of underrepresented backgrounds, and the establishment of paid positions and consulting opportunities for people working to improve diversity and inclusion in free software. You will leave with a good grasp of the history of diversity efforts in free software, and inspiration to connect with at least one of them!