2021_DEI_Survey_-_Report  ## Metadata - Author: [[readwise.io]] - Full Title: 2021_DEI_Survey_-_Report - Category: #articles - Document Note: --- tags: - #technicalwriting - #devrel - #open-source Author: Linux Foundation Research Source: 2021 DEI Survey – Report (PDF) Reference: https://readwise.io/reader/document_raw_content/21481489 date created: 2025-08-27 00:00 --- # Title: DEI in Open Source 2021 — Findings, Implications, and Actions for DevRel and WordPress Communities ## Table of Contents: - [📚 References](#-references) - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#-notes) - [📖 References](#-references-1) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical validity](#-logical-validity) - [🔎 DARVO Analysis](#-darvo-analysis) - [🔍 SEO Evaluation](#-seo-evaluation) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ### References: - Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Diversity in High Tech. - CHAOSS Project: DEI metrics and community health. - Inclusive Naming Initiative; Linux Foundation Inclusive Speaker Training. - Interviews cited in the report: Coraline Ada Ehmke; Michelle Mannering; James Governor; Josh Berkus; Kelly Blincoe; Marina Zhurakhinskaya; Maneesh Sharma; Brian Douglas. - Government of India FOSS policy. ## 📝 Summary: This report surveys the global open source ecosystem to assess the state of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and to recommend actions. Key findings: while 82% of respondents feel welcome, underrepresented groups (women, non-binary, LGBQ+, people with disabilities, transgender people) are significantly more likely to encounter toxic behaviors and threats. Only 37% perceive clear leadership pathways; 30% doubt that Codes of Conduct will be enforced; 17% frequently experience exclusionary behaviors; and only 14% are paid for their contributions. Barriers include language, time, documentation, governance opacity, and newcomer onboarding. The report highlights initiatives (Codes of Conduct, Inclusive Naming, Mentorship, CHAOSS metrics, governance) and eight opportunity areas: proactive inclusion, funding/resourcing, newcomer hospitality, evolving education, localization, measurement, ecosystem-wide responsibility, and structural change. ## 📖 Main Content: The report positions DEI as essential to the health and longevity of open source communities and code quality. Diversity correlates with better products and more resilient systems. Yet, systemic issues—from meritocracy myths to governance opacity—shape participation and progress. The Linux Foundation’s multi-language 2021 survey (>2,000 responses) and interviews surface disparities in safety, inclusion, and leadership access. The data argues for moving beyond “code-only” valuation to embrace inclusive governance, explicit pathways, and metrics-driven improvement. Concrete tactics include funding diverse participation, role-tailored training, localized programming, onboarding improvements like “good first issue,” and explicit enforcement of community standards. Relevance to DevRel and WordPress: Developer Advocates and OSPO leaders are pivotal in implementing inclusive onboarding, documentation, and contributor pathways; aligning funding to DEI outcomes; and using CHAOSS metrics to track engagement/retention. For WordPress, where global contributors and multilingual communities are central, localization, time-zone sensitivity, and accessible documentation are especially critical. Structural change—recognizing non-code contributions and enforcing governance transparency—supports sustainable community growth and bridges pathways from new contributors to maintainers. ### 🗒️ Notes - Context and scope - Global survey in 10+ languages; >2,000 complete responses. - Mix of quantitative data and qualitative interviews. - Welcome vs. disparities - 82% feel welcome, but sentiment varies by demographic. - Underrepresented groups report 2–3x higher rates of threats and toxic behaviors. - Barriers - Language is a barrier for a significant minority. - Time is the #1 participation determinant (time zones, unpaid time, onboarding time). - Only 16% of students report open source taught in curricula. - 30% unsure Codes of Conduct will be enforced; 17% report frequent exclusionary behaviors. - 37% see clear leadership/maintainer pathways; 55% feel opinions valued by leadership. - Toxicity and stereotyping - Women, non-binary, people with disabilities, and trans contributors disproportionately affected. - North America reports higher stereotyping incidence than other regions. - Governance needs - Emphasizes explicit, transparent, accountable governance. - Decision-making frameworks, process documentation, training, and enforcement are key pillars. - Apply CHAOSS metrics to governance and inclusion outcomes. - Current initiatives - Codes of Conduct; Inclusive Naming; Mentorship/Sponsorship; CHAOSS; Governance reforms. - Limitations: scale, reach, and resourcing. - Opportunities (eight areas) - Proactive inclusion: deliberate outreach; extended timelines; leadership representation metrics. - Resources matter: fund inclusive designs, paid time to contribute, comms, and tooling. - Open Source Hospitality: clear onboarding, maintainers as mentors, good-first issues, accessible comms. - Evolving education: role-specific DEI training; inclusive reviews/docs; safe spaces. - Localize efforts: align programs to local needs; language/time-zone accommodations; leverage humanitarian orgs. - Measurement matters: apply/share DEI metrics; invest in research; use data to iterate. - Ecosystem embrace: cross-stakeholder responsibility (foundations, OSPOs, VCs, gov, academia). - Structural change: move beyond code-only merit; value non-code contributions; redesign systems for inclusion. - Motivational signals - 89% believe they can positively impact the world via open source. - Tactics examples - Supabase: explicit newcomer messaging and first-issue curation. - Kubernetes: expanded maintainer mentoring. - Mindspore: tiered social groups by skill level. - EA: open-sourcing accessibility patents/code as inclusive tooling. ## 📖 References: - Linux Foundation Research. 2021 DEI Survey – Report. - CHAOSS Project: Community health and DEI metrics. - Inclusive Naming Initiative; Inclusive Speaker Training. - EEOC: Diversity in High Tech. - TrendWatching coverage of EA accessibility pledge. - Government of India FOSS policies. ## 🗣️ Paraphrase: 1) Original idea: “Open doesn’t always equal fair; entrenched structures and success metrics can exclude. Social media scale amplifies harassment, complicating moderation and trust.” Paraphrase: Although open source is accessible in principle, established contributor hierarchies, funding norms, and performance expectations can still marginalize people. The reach and speed of modern social platforms intensify harassment, making norms enforcement and community trust harder to sustain. 2) Original idea: “Governance must be explicit, transparent, representative, and enforceable, with documented processes, decision frameworks, and training tied to metrics.” Paraphrase: Communities need clear, visible, and inclusive governance. That means writing down how leadership works, clarifying who makes which decisions and how, providing training for inclusive practice, and measuring outcomes so accountability and improvement are possible. ## 📰 Newsletter: Learning web development this week? You’re in excellent company. The latest open source DEI research shows that welcoming first contributions—and valuing non-code work like docs and design—dramatically improves contributor retention. For learners, that means your README fixes and accessibility audits matter! Recent updates: accessibility continues to trend, with major orgs open-sourcing inclusive tooling. For WordPress folks, that dovetails with a renewed push on inclusive docs and loca - URL: https://readwise.io/reader/document_raw_content/21481489 Full text of this document omitted because this document is a PDF [Download original file →](https://readwise.io/reader/document_raw_content/21481489), 2021_DEI_Survey_-_Report, readwise.io, 01h39whqymvrtycnp2fsams1c8.