U.S. Senator Bob Casey Pledges to Bow Out of All-Male Panels at Public Conferences
Achieving gender parity in public discourse requires commitment from all sides: organizers, participants, and moderators. It makes a difference when someone is willing to step up and say no more. U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) has done just that and signed the GenderAvenger Pledge!
While we acknowledge that the Senator will only be able to keep the pledge outside the halls of Congress (unfortunately the scarcity of women represented in public dialog sees no respite within the U.S. Senate), taking the GenderAvenger Pledge to not participate in any all-male panels at public speaking engagements makes his intent clear, and it’s a big step towards change.
From Senator Bob Casey:
From sharing a childhood home with my mother and four sisters to dinner table discussions with my wife, Terese, and our four daughters, women’s voices have always played an influential part in my life. As a public official I have benefitted from the counsel of women whom I have hired to senior positions in my Senate office and in state government.
The voices of women are playing a critical role in shaping the contours of our nation, yet women’s voices are often underrepresented or not represented at all on stage. In 2016 that’s not acceptable. When an organization hosts a public conference, the panel should include women. It’s also critical that members of Congress take steps to ensure that panels at congressional hearings include women. The work that Congress does will only be improved when the expert witnesses who help shape our public policy represent the diversity of America. These aren’t just the right steps to take, but the smart ones.
The voices of women are leading the debates in boardrooms and in Congress, public conferences should be no different. As a United States Senator I am sometimes asked to serve as a panelist at public conferences. In the future, I will be saying ‘No’ unless that panel includes women. I’m signing the GenderAvenger Pledge.
Do your part to promote equal representation of women in public discourse and join Senator Casey today.
Sign the GenderAvenger Pledge to not participate in all-male panels!