Week after week, we have been asked if GitHub’s 2017 Open Source Survey was the latest source of data about the open source community and its diversity. Now, this is longer the case. The Linux Foundation‘s 2021 “Report on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Open Source” provides some updated positive and negative answers.
Only 66% of the open source community at least somewhat agree that people from different backgrounds have an opportunity to participate in open source projects, according to a survey of over 2,000 people worldwide. When asked about the diversity-related barriers they face, respondents from Asia and many younger men often could not name any and instead describe technical issues or challenges they’ve had with documentation.
This is at the heart of an ongoing debate on the best ways to increase participation in technology communities. To what extent can technology and process-oriented solutions help if so many developers and technologists believe in meritocracy?
The complete article can be found here.
