Some say that the world of software development, where you create for a living, should be the ultimate meritocracy. If you’re skilled, you will excel and rise to the top. Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple. White, male, “brogrammer” culture reigns supreme — and it pushes a very different set of values.

In the very beginning of software culture, the playing field was much closer to equal than it is now. Everyone, far as we know, was welcomed and encouraged to contribute. But like everything else, it didn’t — some might say could not — stay the same. But the facts are this: the field grew, and was dominated by a single personality type. Now in 2015, companies are suffering because of this lop-sided equation, but many are clueless about how to frame the bigger issue at stake, and eventually, resolve it.

Our guest today, Aria Stewart has a few ideas. She’s a powerful speaker, and software developer at NPM. During our conversation today, we discuss the gender gap as it exists in software development culture at length, and how we might be able to fix it.