It was meant to be every week for ladies in tech—however this yr’s Grace Hopper Celebration was swamped by males who gate-crashed the occasion in the hunt for profitable tech jobs.

The annual conference and profession truthful geared toward ladies and non-binary tech employees, which takes its identify from a pioneering laptop scientist, occurred final week in Orlando, Florida. The occasion payments itself as the most important gathering of ladies in tech worldwide, and has sought to unite ladies within the tech business for almost 30 years. Sponsors embrace Apple, Amazon, and Bloomberg, and it’s a serious networking alternative for aspiring tech employees. In-person admission prices between $649 and round $1,300.

This yr, droves of males confirmed up with résumés in hand. AnitaB.org, the nonprofit that runs the convention, said there was “an increase in participation of self-identifying males” at this yr’s occasion. The nonprofit says it believes allyship from males is essential, and famous it can’t ban males from attending as a result of federal nondiscrimination protections within the US.

Organizers expressed frustration. Past iterations of the convention have “always felt safe and loving and embracing,” mentioned Bo Young Lee, president of advisory at AnitaB.org, in a LinkedIn post. “And this year, I must admit, I didn’t feel this way.”

Cullen White, AnitaB.org’s chief impression officer, mentioned in a video posted to X, previously Twitter, that some registrants had lied about their gender identification when signing up, and males have been now taking on area and time with recruiters that ought to go to ladies. “All of those are limited resources to which you have no right,” White mentioned. AnitaB.org didn’t reply to a request for remark.

Tech jobs, as soon as a reasonably protected and profitable guess, have develop into extra elusive. In 2022 and 2023, tech firms world wide laid off greater than 400,000 employees, in line with Layoffs.fyi, a website that tracks job losses throughout the business. Tens of 1000’s of these cuts have come from large employers like Meta and Amazon, and a few companies have instituted hiring freezes. The layoffs have been notably brutal for immigrant employees, who’ve been left scrambling for sponsorship within the US after dropping work.

The controversy on the Grace Hopper Celebration exhibits the fallout of these job losses, as ladies and non-binary folks nonetheless wrestle to search out equal footing in an business dominated by males. Women made up only a third of these working in STEM jobs as of 2021, in line with the US National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics.

As job cuts chew, all potential tech employees have develop into extra determined for alternatives. During the convention, videos posted to TikTok confirmed a sea of males ready in line to enter the convention or converse with recruiters within the expo corridor. Men and girls are seen running into the expo as a staffer yells for them to decelerate.

Avni Barman, the founding father of female-talent centered media platform Gen She, says she instantly seen “tons” extra males and a extra chaotic scene this time in comparison with earlier years.

Barman was on the convention to host a meet-up. During and after the convention, she heard from numerous ladies who have been unhappy and pissed off after. “This is a conference for women and non-binary people,” Barman says.

Nelly Azar, a pupil at The Ohio State University learning laptop science and engineering, attended the convention and noticed lengthy strains of individuals ready to talk to employers. That was solely completely different from 2022, they are saying, after they attended and noticed few males.

Azar says they might discuss to solely two of the businesses they have been thinking about as a result of others have been inundated with candidates. Long strains zigzagged outdoors the doorway to the occasion’s expo corridor. The frustration was palpable. This yr’s convention exhibits “not only how fragile our spaces are, but why we need them more than ever,” Azar says. “Now is one of the most important times to advocate for gender equity.”