Alleged search engine sexism draws complaints

Deutsche Welle ^ | 11.03.2013 | Friedel Taube

[Olog-hai]

What do people around the world really think about a woman’s place in the world? Google knows! And any Internet user can easily find out. Just type in the two words “women should” into the search engine, and Google’s auto-complete function will come up with a selection of startling suggestions: “Women should… know their place… not work… stay at home… not speak in church…” You get similar results from the US version of Google’s competitor, Yahoo.

DW asked Google Germany why this should be. “The suggestions are generated automatically based on many different factors, including the popularity of particular search terms in the Internet,” was the reply. …

So is Google being sexist when it spits out these kind of suggestions in response to the words “women should,” or to comparable searches like “girls should” or “women shouldn’t?” UN Women, the United Nations’ women’s rights organization, says it is. The organization has started a poster campaign in protest. It shows women whose mouths are hidden by a Google search bar showing these search results: sexist suggestions that leave them literally lost for words. …

[Jet Jaguar]

not be in combat
preach
not speak in church

Your results may vary.

[JoeDetweiler]

For “men should” :

books men should read

what men should know about women

things men should know about women

[Zeppo]

UN Women, the United Nations’ women’s rights organization, says it is. The organization has started a poster campaign in protest. It shows women whose mouths are hidden by a Google search bar showing these search results: sexist suggestions that leave them literally lost for words.

I'm looking through the UN Charter to see where it was given the mission and authority to whine about such foolish things.

I'm still looking...

[BenLurkin]

[BenLurkin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUBnxqEVKlk

[KarlInOhio]

I typed in "men should" and the first suggestion was "men shoulder bag".

[Olog-hai]

That appeared in both Google and Yahoo for me.

Ask.com didn’t do suggestions, but the first result was titled “Men should weep” . . .

[ToastedHead]

not be in combat
preach
not speak in church

-Agreed. Although I think no one should speak in church except the priest and his fellow evildoers.

[Jet Jaguar]

To be clear,

these were the result from google.

Not my opinions. :0)

[EEGator]

I hate Flo.

[ToastedHead]

It’s ok if you hate women. Don’t we all:)

[Post Toasties]

That’s not at all what I saw when I posted ‘women should’ in Google. I guess I didn’t search hard enough.....

[ExpatGator]

...make me a sammich.

[dfwgator]

[Olog-hai]

It’s in the suggestion list rather than an actual search. The “offending” words pop up in the main search page, as one types “women should”.

[ansel12]

I don’t get anything like that from google search.

[Olog-hai]

Did you do a search from the start page?

It also pops up in the menu bar search. Maybe if the suggestions are turned off in your settings, nothing comes up.

In a regular search for “women should”, the first hit is a Huffy Post article titled “23 Things Every Woman Should Stop Doing” . . . if you see that, then you’ve gone too far.

[GeronL]

These idiots do realize this is all automated and most often used search terms will appear, right?

This is like blaming the book store for all the books made from virgin pulp

[Olog-hai]

All about control. They see something that can be attacked and automatically act as sharks would with blood in the water.