Action Alert | Manels During Women’s History Month? Wow.
It’s Women’s History Month! This month we hope you are hyper-aware of manels and tag us when you see them! And consider this a friendly reminder to make sure your Women’s History Month efforts are intersectional and inclusive.
IDC Directions 2022
This week, we looked at the IDC Directions Conference speaker lists for March 8th and March 22nd. The IDC Directions Conference welcomes technology professionals and members of the investment community. The conference supports digital-first solutions and ideas that drive innovation and change across various industries. We tallied these events separately, even though there is crossover in the March 8th and 22nd speaker lists. The result… Both venues need more women and women of color speakers.
There’s still time to add more speakers! Do you know women speakers that would be perfect for this event? Share their names on Twitter with IDC along with our 5 Tips for Conference Organizers graphic! A few more women and women of color can change the outcome of these tallies.
Women’s History Month and All-Women Panels… (no thanks)
Speaking of panels with only (or mostly) one gender represented… During Women’s History Month, you’ll probably notice an influx of “women-branded” programming where all experts or speakers are women. At GenderAvenger, women’s voices count, but we don’t get excited about all-women panels.
Creating women-only panels for Women’s History Month does not contribute to the systemic change we seek. When Women’s History Month is over, many organizations go right back to centering male voices and perspectives. We acknowledge that sometimes women-only programming is necessary to provide safe spaces, networking opportunities, and working groups. However, placing women in women-only silos minimizes their voices at most industry events. Women often attend all-women panels, which does not advance the ideas that surface amongst the other half of the population (men).
To be honest, more men need to practice listening to women speak as experts on stages. More men need practice holding discussions with women, as equals, on stages. More men need to fight the urge to interrupt women in meetings. All-women panels aren’t going to address these issues. So this month, if it’s essential to have a “special” women-only industry conversation, make sure that men are there to hear it.
Let’s celebrate Women’s History Month by elevating women’s voices. But let’s make sure we bring that same energy with us throughout the rest of the year!
We want feedback… What are your thoughts on women-only panels?
Reply to the newsletter or connect with us on social media to share your ideas.
We’re not always right. By giving space to various opinions, we welcome multiple perspectives and can generate well-rounded thoughts as a result.
Light the Flame! Read. (Then, Go Do Stuff.)
How can we challenge ideas about gender and expertise so that women can claim their place at the table, take their time at the mic, or rise to power and influence? We hope this week’s reads empower and inspire your advocacy and thinking.
Many countries like France, Norway, and Sweden, have neared gender parity in the boardroom. The United States falls short, with women holding only about a quarter of board seats. As a result, high-powered women miss out on the high compensation, experience, and networks these boards provide. Read how California’s mandate could be the secret to encouraging shareholders to find qualified women candidates.
Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council is motivated to change its guidelines to address gender disparities in its grant programs. In an online session on 24 February, NHMRC chief executive Anne Kelso told more than 250 stakeholders from the health research community that the council was “serious” about making changes to advance gender equality.
What comes to mind when I mention engineering? Skilled at mathematics. Male-dominated. No work-life balance. The relative scarcity of women engineers makes it more difficult to recruit more women to the field. However, what today's women in engineering lack in numbers, they make up for in passion for engineering and the opportunities available to women engineers.
Psst… Sharing is caring! If you enjoy our weekly love letter to gender equality, pass it on to a friend, colleague, organization, or event planner you know!
📣🚨It’s #WomensHistoryMonth and #IDCDirections Conference could use a few more women for their events! But we’re not looking to replace the #manel with the all-women-panel.