Newsweek recently spurred public outrage over a controversial cover. The cover, which brashly depicts a giant cursor lifting up the skirt of a woman carrying a laptop, accompanied a story about sexism in Silicon Valley. The image sparked immediate backlash on social media and in the news, with some deeming it as sexist as Silicon Valley itself. Yet the cover was designed to be provocative — it is clear that Newsweek’s intention was always to elicit frustration and indignation from its readers. More importantly, it has accomplished its intended goal of catalyzing conversation about the mistreatment of women in the tech industry.

The cover highlights the prevalence of sexual harassment in the Silicon Valley startup scene. One example is that in 2014 Whitney Wolfe, a co-founder of Tinder, sued fellow co-founders Justin Mateen and Sean Rad — the current CEO — for using inappropriate sexual language and rescinding her co-founder status after saying a “girl founder” would devalue the company. Unfortunately, this atmosphere of male exclusivity and frat boy culture normalizes hostility toward women.

Even outside the realm of sexual harassment, women in the technology sector are consistently given the short end of the stick — particularly when it comes to access to funding for startups. The Valley’s venture capital firms, which are overwhelmingly white and male, see white males as the most secure investments. Women receive less than 7 percent of venture capital funding in the tech industry, despite starting nearly half the small businesses in the United States. Many must resort to dipping into personal savings, leaving them at a disadvantage.

The dearth of women graduating with STEM degrees inevitably results in a lack of women founding tech startups. More women must be made aware of the abundance and diversity of career opportunities available in the technology sector. Encouraging women to join the field in greater numbers would counteract the toxic effects of the male-centric culture.

However, encouraging women to pursue STEM careers is not a viable solution on its own. The determination of women working in Silicon Valley is still undermined by the sexist mindset of their male peers. Strengthening sexual harassment policies at tech companies and venture capital firms should be made a priority, and preventative training should be mandatory.

The gender disparity in the tech world justifies dramatic appeals to the masses like this cover. Newsweek should not be castigated for shedding light on a very real issue — as ugly as it may be. Instead, Silicon Valley should take it as an opportunity for productive discourse about how the dismal situation can be improved. Only then can the tech world at large start to create the more inclusive and productive workplace that is needed in a sector at the forefront of innovation.

A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, Feb. 10 print edition. Email Zahra Haque at [email protected].