Break the Bias- A True Story
The theme for International Womens Day 2022 is #breakthebias.
Less than 48 hours before writing this blog was my most recent experience with bias ( and as a white woman with the privilege of education and good life opportunities I know I am lucky to go that long without experiencing bias).
This most recent bias highlights a problem the event sector has, a problem which needs to be addressed if we are to remain a relevant sector in the future. We are a majority female workforce with majority men in positions of authority and basic examples of gender bias exist.
48 hours ago scrolling through linked in I saw a picture of a ‘manel’- you know those all white male panels. A while ago I made a commitment to ask a question every time I spotted a ‘manel’ because I realise I am fortunate enough to have a career where I can ask awkward questions and I’m also long enough in my career to understand I have a responsibility to the next generation to speak up. In response to the post explaining the photograph was an event sector panel on ‘What sponsors want’ I commented ‘Is an all male panel a good representation of what sponsors want?’
As I wrote that comment I thought about the event organiser who compiled the panel, the panelists who sat on stage together, the attendees who watched the panel for I’m guessing at least 30 mins, the person making the post on linked in days later and I wondered how many of that community had thought the same thing? How many had thought ‘this content is gender biased- is that what sponsors want?’
A few years ago at another industry event I joined the audience of a ‘manel’ and before it started went up to the stage and said “I just wanted to ask about this being an all male panel and how that will impact diversity of thought being shared”. I saw first hand the surprise and shock on the panelists faces as it dawned on them- they hadn’t created a ‘manel’ on purpose they said. Their facial expressions had given it away, seconds before the start of their session they were not aware that they had created a ‘manel’ at all, which means they had given no thought to how gender biased the content would be. It took the ‘manel' on Llinked in even longer to realise they had created gender biased content. I’m sure the person that posted on linked in was not posting to promote gender bias but that’s what it is and to #breakthebias means starting with the most basic act of voicing bias.
The linked in thread began to read like a bingo card of all the expected justifications for a ‘manel’ including:
‘ There are commercial considerations involved’
‘I struggle to get women to join panels’
‘I have daughters’
And
‘Gender diversity is important but so are race, age, life experience…. You aren’t going to win friends… by suggesting that all white men think the same’
Of course all white men don’t think the same but they do all have one thing in common- the life experience of a white man- or to explain it another way they have not had the life experience of being a woman.
Breaking a bias starts with asking a question, it is an opportunity to get curious about the missing insight we all have which makes diversity of engagement so important. The event sector exists to enable participation and inclusion, to bring people together to collaborate and innovate. This International Womens Day’s theme #breakthebias is a reminder to all event professionals that we have an opportunity to lead. Together 2022 can be the year ‘Manals’ become extinct.