The 2019 GenderAvenger Report Card: Does Your Event Make the Grade?
Remember way back in 2017 when we created a conference report card? We took a look at some major conferences and assigned them the elementary school-style grades Beginning, Approaching, and Meeting. Were they missing the boat on gender equality, approaching mastery of it, or meeting our gender equality expectations? Now that a new school year is in full swing, we thought we’d take a look at a few of the events that took place in 2019 to see which ones need improvement and which are making the grade.
BEGINNING
(needs serious improvement in the speaker gender equality department)
Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival
For two years in a row now, the gender imbalance of the Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival talent has been glaring. In 2018, the talent list included only 29% women, and the 2019 list is even worse at 27%. We suggest that NYCWFF stay after school for some extra help in gender balance before the 2020 festival.
APPROACHING
(getting there but doesn’t quite make the gender equality cut yet)
Real Time with Bill Maher
Ok, this isn’t a conference, but GenderAvenger Cat Del Buono has been keeping tabs on cable television show Real Time with Bill Maher, and while the number of women on his show increased from May to June 2019, he still has a bit of work to do before he meets what good gender balance looks like.
MEETING
(thumbs up, gold star, doing exactly what they should be)
CES 2019
Perhaps the most influential conference to make improvements is the Consumer Electronics Show. CES went from zero to hero in our eyes, moving from zero women on the mainstage in 2018 to earning a GA Gold Stamp of Approval for equality and diversity in 2019. This dramatic change, heavily influenced by the GenderAvenger community, is one that definitely deserves a gold star!
