There has been an explosion of networking events for women in
Ireland. Two that I have attended are
the Dublin City Enterprize Board Women in Business Network which has a huge
variety of members and Irelands Geek Girl Dinners which focuses on Women in the
tech industry. There are dozens more as
well as publications such as Women Mean Business, which featured an article on
the opening of BelloBar, see below Shane accompanying his women who mean business
myself and Ciara Coyne.
I am in the minority in Ireland who have never experienced a
single gender environment. I was in a co-educational setting throughout my
education in play school, at primary and secondary level. In university the majority of my class were
boys but the three other girls and I had no problem holding our own. I have never felt the pressures of gender inequality
on a personal level, so the idea of gender
specific events sits a little uncomfortably with me.
But the facts are that in Ireland women are still vastly
under-represented in politics, certain high level jobs and in the
entrepreneurial and start up world. So
the support is needed. It is welcomed by
all who attend, myself included, and most importantly it is having an impact.
The figures are shifting, with more women being recognised every year across
the sectors mentioned above.
And to be perfectly honest I’d say only 1% of time at these
events is spent talking about the fact that we’re women. The major reason that we are there is to hear
from interesting speakers, meet people and discuss all the amazing things that
people are doing and businesses thriving in Ireland.
Margeret E ward a founder of Women on Air, whose focus was
on the challenges facing women in the business world, spoke at the April event
for Enterprise Ireland Women in Business Network. A statement she made was that
change occurs in organisations when the heads (be they women or men) state
publicly that they want more women in the high positions as it is good for the
company. Not because it is the right
thing to do, but because it is economically important to do so. Because having
diverse management styles builds a strong culture in an organisation.
I think the root of what makes me uncomfortable about women
specific events is outlined above. The statistics change when everyone is
working towards the same goal of a closer to equal split of genders in
business. We need to be talking about these issues not just to ourselves, not
in a female vacuum. Women only events by no means bar men from coming but it is
hard to get them involved.
How do you get the gender balance right in a women’s event?
How can we get ‘Men in Business’ to the ‘Women in Business Network’,
so they can hear these statistics and hear how they can contribute, not for the
sake of women but for the betterment of organisations?
