This post was originally published on 13th November 2022, but was most recently updated on 7th March 2024.
We know that gendered spaces can be a controversial topic and we respect everyone’s right to their own opinion, nonetheless, we wanted to share our reasoning for why we are the way we are. We are a space for women, non-binary folk, and anyone who is femme in a way that is important to them. For as long as the majority of our community would like us to remain this way, we shall – that is our primary reasoning.
Having surveyed our community twice since starting in September 2021, we asked the network the following question and thought we’d share a few of their answers.
“Do you think there is a need for women-only* spaces? If yes, why?” (The survey specified *Women and non-binary folk)
1. Mixed networking events can be intimidating.
Men can take up too much space and silence women’s voices sometimes, intentionally or not.
It’s a safe space without being talked over, or having to wonder if this guy is here to potentially pick up ladies.
As a novice at attending networking events, I think it provides a slightly more welcoming/less-intimidating platform.
Unfortunately, there is a long way to go before I will be comfortable and feel safe either approaching a group of men I don’t know, or being approached by one – and there are still a lot of men in the industry who talk over women or are patronising/dismissive.
2. Women need more opportunities to empower each other to reach the top levels of businesses.
We have a lot of resistance at senior levels which is still very white male-dominated and often these events can be male lead so its great to have a safe space for us to grow together at all levels.
The immediate understanding of barriers that come with being a minority group is so important, powerful, and empowering. It cuts down on posturing (compared with other networking groups) and let’s us skip straight to empathy, no nonsense talking and mentoring others.
Women (including trans and non-binary) often miss out of upward mobility and economic opportunities due to social boundaries. Providing a community and space that provides the members the same opportunities without limitations is important.
Because although marketing is often a female-led business, when you get to the top positions such as director or owner they’re always often men. We need women’s groups to lift each other up and the support to start securing those positions through networking.
Women are often underestimated in business therefore solidarity amongst women equals strength.
3. Networking can be easier when you have more in common with one another.
I think sometimes networking and events can be a bit terrifying – having a ‘safe’ space to express issues that mostly or only affect women (childcare, inequality, maternity leave, menopause, imposter syndrome) is important.
I thought about this a lot as I would like there not to be a need for women only spaces, but I do feel like I have already felt more included within this network and more likely to attend because I feel that this group is tailored to me.
To discuss issues only women deal with and to feel empowered by other women.
I feel like there are workplace pressures and issues that only women experience and understand. I love seeing women empowering other women and this is an event that certainly does that.
4. Gendered spaces can foster more open atmospheres and conversations.
When an event is framed as “for minority”, there is an unspoken and inherent emphasis on sharing, uplifting, and kindness. There are other marketing events I have stopped attending as they feel sales-focused or ego-driven. But here I will stay!
I feel less confronted and more supported at a women-only event. We all understand each other’s challenges and give support and encouragement. I don’t want to exclude men but I love the support from a women-only network.
I think it means a change in the dynamics happens automatically – as we’re not complying with existing structures of who defers to who, who is important to who, etc. It forces us to come to the space afresh and get the most from new connections.
5. Gendered spaces offer a comfortable environment to build confidence in networking.
I feel more comfortable and more confident in a women-only space.
I feel safer and more comfortable talking about issues faced (although this could also just be because of the lovely people there).
It can be hard in a male-dominated business world to have confidence, especially for the less experienced networker.
I think giving women a safe space to network is so important. Not only does it help them build their confidence, it greatly decreases the potential for inappropriate behaviour.
It’s good for support, encouragement and confidence. Also, it’s the chance to connect with other women without dominant men who like the sound of their own voice.
While we all have to keep attending regular networking events to try and fight those battles and change those issues, in the meantime I feel we need the space to just get on with things without it being a case of taking a deep breath and psyching up to fight our ground in every conversation.
The above answers have all been copied and pasted directly from community member responses, which were submitted with demographics but otherwise anonymised – we appreciate some of the comments made are quite severe and are not necessarily the views of the network’s advisory board, but hope that these thoughts give you insight as to why we feel the need to respect the community’s request for us to remain (for the most part) a gendered space.
If you feel 100% confident in mixed networking events and cannot understand these points of view, we ask you to respect the fact that 60+ responses sharing a similar sentiment indicate that these thoughts are common. Gendered spaces may not be the answer, but there is still a need for them at present.
