27 October 2009

Why are there so few women speakers at conferences

Carrie Bishop asks why we see the same people - men - speaking at conferences:

...it’s not about women being better qualified to speak on the basis of their gender – no one wants the idiot quota to go up at events. Rather, we want good quality speakers that reflect a diversity of opinion and it’s impossible to get that with only one demographic slice. Women often have a different take on things (not better, not worse, just different) and I like to hear different perspectives. The more demographically mixed an audience is, the better for challenge, difference of opinion, different cultural assumptions, and energy.


She sets out a few possible solutions for getting more women's voices heard. What do you think?