Action Alert | Let’s Move From ’Meh’ to ‘Yeah!’
This week GenderAvenger is sharing two opportunities to move from ‘Meh’ to ‘Yeah!’ for gender equality: The MTV EMA Awards and the MIT Sloan CFO Summit. Both events need an extra push to shake off any complacency, reach gender parity, and get out of the Meh zone!
Lesson 1: We don’t have to choose when it comes to inclusion
The 2021 MTV EMA Awards, hosted November 14th, reached ‘Meh’ status when their nominations included 47 men/men group singers and only 30 women/women group singers. GenderAvenger measured nominations by giving each individual artist a singular vote, regardless of how many categories for which they received nominations.
Though the MTV EMA Awards did not reach gender parity in their nominations this year, it is important for us to note their commitment to the support of the LGBTQ+ community during the ceremony in Hungary. Chris McCarthy, President/CEO of MTV Entertainment, said that MTV wanted to use the ceremony “as an opportunity to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community in Hungary and around the world as we continue to fight for equality for all.”
Lesson 2: We must actively seek out women of color in our industry
Our second ‘Meh’ of the week goes to the 2021 MIT Sloan CFO Summit, which takes place November 18th. This conference is meant to be a place to hear how CFOs are uplifting their companies and instilling enterprise excellence. Of the 30 speakers on the agenda, 17 speakers are men and only 13 are women, with 3 being women of color. Based on our credentials for GenderAvenger Stamp of Approval, the conference is close to gender-balanced but nowhere near the numbers we’d like to see for women of color. Hearing from majority male and almost no women of color experts denies MIT Sloan CFO Summit attendees the unique perspectives and insights of diverse leaders.
So how do we move from Meh to Yeah? With your help, GenderAvenger community! We want to give out GenderAvenger Stamps of Approval, which means we need our conferences to step up and prioritize gender balance and the inclusion of diverse perspectives.
Time to take action!
We want YOU to be a GenderAvenger this week. Both the MTV EMA Awards and MIT Sloan CFO Summit were so close to earning a GenderAvenger Stamp of Approval. So was is it a pipeline issue, gender bias, or just a plain old lack of creativity?
However we got here, we believe that the best solution comes from groupthink. Here’s what we want you to do this week to elevate women’s voices in the public dialogue:
Take it to Twitter!
Let’s celebrate MTV EMA Awards (@mtvema) in their efforts to be LGBTQ+ inclusive while simultaneously challenge them to prioritize gender parity in their nomination lists for 2022.
Let MIT Sloan CFO Summit (@mitcfo) know that their lack of representation in their speaker lineup doesn’t work and suggest women, women of color, and nonbinary experts you know.
Have you found a conference with awesome gender balance? We want to know!
P.S. Thank you to everyone who has been participating in #GATallyTuesday! Look out for a reminder on social media each Tuesday to share your tallies!
📣🚨 ‘Meh’ is not ‘Yeah!’ Both @mtvema and @mitcfo are so close to gender parity and we wish we could celebrate. We hope that both #MTVEMA 2022 nominations and #MITCFO 2022 conference speaker lists earn a GA Stamp of Approval next year. #GenderAvenger