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Why are most of the panellists and speakers at coworking conferences men?

Bernie J Mitchell

— 1 min read

What do we know women do in the coworking industry?

  • Most of the podcasts in the coworking industry are hosted by women.
  • Most of the books in the coworking industry are written or co-authored by women.
  • Every week, women are writing about coworking in our industry publications.
  • Most of the online coworking courses are created and hosted by women.
  • Women create and host the majority of online membership communities.
  • Women run A LOT of coworking spaces.
  • Women have founded and own A LOT of coworking spaces.
Yet when we get to the opening keynote speakers and panels at a conference it’s just men EVERYWHERE!

This post is about “representation” at conferences rather than “diversity”, so please consider that as you read.

⍰ Does the data below represent the coworking industry in Europe?

One 2023 conference which has:

60 people speaking

-38 Men

-22 women

-ONE male person of colour

Another 2023 conference has

-10 people speaking in one day

-6 men

-4 women

-ONE male person of colour

Another previous conference

-20 White Men

-5 White Women (2 of those women were hosting the event!)

-0 people of colour

The under-representation in 2023 is devastating.

My call to action for my fellow males

If you’re a man and you're asked to speak at a conference, question and ask about the panel's diversity.

If you are not helping to create a diverse panel, please decline.

This is a super easy step we, as men, can take to help ensure gender representation.

We also need to consider race, gender, accessibility and differently-abled.

If you think you have tackled “diversity” and someone still needs to ask you about it, you’ve missed something.

I have organised over a thousand events, workshops, and meetups in my career. I often felt that my choice of speakers and topics was exceptional.

However, I have often found it necessary to reevaluate my decisions to place greater emphasis on inclusion, diversity, accessibility, and equity.

I still have blind spots in these areas that I need to have spelt out to me.

Bonus Pro tip!

Put this prompt into #ChatGPT and see what the answer is:

“Why are there always more male than female speakers at coworking conferences?”

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