Truly striving for gender equality should mean that women and men are asked to speak about most topics in their fields–like building a brand, raising capital, pitching–in similar numbers. And while more women have been invited to speak at recent events, it’s usually about “expertise” related to one main aspect: being women. While issues surrounding being a woman and balancing family and work life are undoubtedly important, it’s crucial to bring in more women speaking about every aspect of business and investing. Read below and click through for the whole story from Quartz India.
qz.com – In December, a friend who is also a public relations executive asked me if I could suggest the names of a few women entrepreneurs to speak at an event on India’s technology startups. “The client wants to include a discussion about women and entrepreneurship,” he said.
Since the event was only a few days away, I asked him to invite other women speakers at the event for this panel. But that wasn’t an option.
“We don’t have any women speakers so far,” he said. “That’s why we want to include a women-only panel.”
I should have guessed. The all-female panel was, as they often are, an afterthought.
Women are a rare sight at technology events in India. Unless there is a discussion on “managing family with work” or “how the industry accepts women.”
Questions on innovation and business are usually reserved for their male counterparts.
For instance, in January, the Indian government hosted its first-ever “Startup India” event and invited five women entrepreneurs for a 30-minute panel called “Celebrating women: Stories of innovative women entrepreneurs.” The discussion during this session revolved around the advantages women bring to the startup industry, and how women should deal with questions about marriage.
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