Comments on: Should men speak on all-male panels? Summary + time to cast your vote

By: Pinkeye

Pinkeye — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 19:20:12 +0000

So what will you do when invited to a panel of all women?

By: @leepster

@leepster — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 22:31:41 +0000

Great that you raise this. I’ve refused to attend a parliamentary event this week because it’s an all male panel to discuss post-MDG frameworks and fragility. Those issues have disproportionate effects on women and I’d expect women’s voices to be heard.

If I were you I’d turn down the invite, explain why and suggest suitable women candidates.

By: Søren

Søren — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 10:02:06 +0000

I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one left a bit sceptical towards the principles you’ve listed. I know you mean well, Duncan, but I’m tempted to call it a charade. The trouble is that the reason for your Lagarde exemption applies quite a way further down than you imply. If a conference organiser wants someone from Oxfam to speak on big societal change and Oxfam’s work, they’re less likely to call the newly engaged Assistant Policy Analyst –who’d statistically be female(?)- than the Senior Strategic Advisor –who’s, well, you. Which, were I to be in the audience, I’d commend.

In my experience from Denmark and Norway, where your principles are perhaps already more internalised, the effect hasn’t so much been a decline in old suits on panels. Instead, whatever space is left at the table is now strictly reserved for a young(-ish) woman. Given I’m pro gender equality because I’m pro diversity, I don’t think that that is particularly clever.

So, why doesn’t the women, who’re in majority at entry-level and in PhD schools, get the senior positions? I think that’s the real issue here.

By: Duncan

Duncan — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 07:38:31 +0000

errrm, so what should women do when invited to participate in all-male panels, exactly?

By: Robin

Robin — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 19:49:29 +0000

How odd that you are limiting your statement to men.

By: Maya Forstater

Maya Forstater — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 18:35:22 +0000

Speaking on panels is one of those things that seems to be most adversely affected by ‘continuity bias’ at work.

The number of invitations you get a year is some function of the number of panels you were on the year before and whether you were any good. … Take a career break of more than a year and visibility and confidence drop. I think this is one of the hardest horses for women to get back on to after a career break.

The approach of male panel invitees taking a stand (although welcome) wont fix that if it just pushes demand onto the few overstretched women who were on panels the year before.

By: Anis Qizilbash

Anis Qizilbash — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 09:58:25 +0000

Assuming people don’t act with self-interest.

By: Clare Woodford

Clare Woodford — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 09:43:24 +0000

“constructively engage with organisers” AND the wider social/political/economic barriers that deny women opportunities and profile in global development debates and prevent their voices being heard! Symptoms and causes?? Taking the long view? But thanks for raising this tricky issue

By: Søren

Søren — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 09:12:54 +0000

…still finding it paradoxical that this conversation is happening in a context where option a) is meant as a statement – not as making way for a woman, or someone else, to take your own place.