Three Ways We All Benefit from More Gender-Inclusive Conferences  

The tech industry has a historical gender problem. Recent data from No Ceilings shows that women are strikingly underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers. But homogenous offices aren’t the only problem. The gender disparity also extends to tech conferences, which over the past few years have been taken to task for their all-male panels. 

As the co-founder of Women SPEAK, a national girls’ empowerment initiative that last July held a summit with 200+ high school girls, I regularly attend and organize conferences for young women today. The participants in Women SPEAK’s events are mostly in their teens and 20s. These young women have the potential to be the engineers, programmers, and start-up CEOs of tomorrow--so shouldn’t there be more gender-inclusive conferences to show them that it’s true?   

Last weekend, I attended CGI University, a conference that captivated me with the way it got gender inclusion right. Each year, President Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton host CGI U to encourage college students to take action on the most pressing social and environmental issues of their generation. CGI U is not specifically a tech conference, but this year the emphasis on innovation featured panels with topics such as “The Next Leapfrog Technologies” and “Big Data and Human Rights.” CGI U students came with “Commitments to Action” that ranged from using drones to monitor elephant poaching in West Africa to creating an algorithm to predict and monitor disease transmission in Brazil and Malaysia.

Despite the heavy tech presence, CGI U wasn’t a boy’s club. Female students comprised more than half of the attendees. And a few of the panels—such as the dialogue on expanding the circular economy—were even made up entirely of women, including Aclima Co-Founder & CEO Davida Herzl. Here are a few of the ways that young entrepreneurial women like me benefit from conferences that prioritize gender inclusion.

Diverse Discussions to Learn From

 It’s important to note that although we’re all of the same gender, the co-founders of Women SPEAK aren’t a monolith: in addition to me, Kristin Jones is an architecture major at Howard University and Danielle Cooney is an English and creative writing major at University of Arizona. Considering our diverse backgrounds, we appreciated hearing women panelists who hailed from vastly different avenues of life.  

 It was impossible not to be inspired by Obiageli Ezekwesili, co-convener of the massive #BringBackOurGirls social media campaign that focused global attention on the gruesome attacks committed by Boko Haram. Powerful words also came from Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, founder and editor of MuslimGirl.net, who encouraged listeners to never turn our backs on our personal stories. And the wisdom of NASA astronaut Cady Coleman helped us realize the importance of taking risks and enduring failure in our future as young leaders of the world.

The takeaway: More eclectic conference speakers allow for richer insight.

Invaluable Mentorship Opportunities

Everyone says that having a mentor is critical, but actually finding one can prove difficult for young women with entrepreneurial aspirations. That’s why conferences that offer on-site career advice are all the more valuable.

At CGI U for example, the CGI LEAD program allowed me to  pitch Women SPEAK to industry experts such as my mentor Kat Cole, the Group President of Focus Brands. With their advice and constructive feedback, we were able to gain insight into how to frame our pitch to rally widespread support.

The best conferences don’t stop at panels. Offering opportunities for young women to receive guidance can go a long way in adding value to any event.

Expanded Networks

As the adage goes, it’s not necessarily what you do, but who you know. Conference diversity allows young women to make the connections that can spark inspiration and even boost their careers.

At CGI U 2016, their CGI U Exchange was a refreshingly gender-inclusive networking event that enabled us to meet a wide variety of young leaders, including those with similar ambitions of empowering young women and girls. We walked away with renewed motivation after learning about projects around the world such as the African Research Academies for Women, which came about through a student group’s CGI U commitment to help Nigerian women pursue scientific careers at Nigerian universities. 

By the time CGI U wrapped up, I felt more confident about not only my work with Women SPEAK, but also the fact that I’m not alone as a young female entrepreneur. No matter the industry, more gender-inclusive conferences can push all of us to network and workshop our way to a more equitable society together. 

#StudentVoices

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Photo Credits: Adam Schultz / Clinton Global Initiative; Max Orenstein / Clinton Global Initiative;  Adam Schultz / Clinton Global Initiative