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it does – and for a number of reasons . First of all , on a common-sense level . All of us create products and services aimed at the wider population . These propositions will inevitably work better if those involved in their genesis - with the experience and perspective thereby incorporated - reflect the final audience . Caroline Criado Perez ’ s seminal book on gender data bias demonstrates the negative impact on women when this doesn ’ t happen . Safety is another issue . In an eye-opening report on sexual harassment cited by Conference News in 2018 , 61 % of event industry females report having encountered inappropriate behaviour , with 19 % mentioning the workplace as the locus , 8 % whilst travelling and 34 % on site . Effectively single-gender environments , such as sites , create powerful cultures and biases – with consequences that can be genuinely harmful .
Pay gap The biggest reason parity matters , however , is because decision-makers hold the real power . Legislation ensuring larger companies report on their gender pay gaps has recently created some fascinating reading . When Reed Exhibitions reported a mean total pay gap of 19.7 % in 2020 , they cited clearly and honestly that the main reason was more men than women in senior roles and more women than men in lower-paid roles , a disparity exacerbated by performance-related pay opportunities , which
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“ Inclusivity is a journey and we all have to start somewhere ...”
increased with seniority .
Only transparency such as this can create the honest realisations and conversations that lead to strategic change . We researched gender representation figures for event organisers , for example , and perhaps the most interesting response - citing the AEO Talent Report - was that 39 % of companies within the research did not record this information . This relates to representation only , not gender pay gaps and , whilst there ’ s no legal obligation to report ( for the gender pay gap this starts at 250 + employees ), why not do it anyway to see if you ’ re heading in the right direction ? Inclusivity is a journey after all , just like sustainability – and we all have to start somewhere .
Leadership Self-reflection by leaders is important too . Fifteen of my
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years in the industry have been as leader of my own company , where I am now chairwoman . Could I have influenced more inclusive ways of recruiting ? Yes , probably . After all , when you first set up a company , there are so many things to focus on , you often follow the path of least resistance , which is exactly how the status quo regenerates . Decisions get made without remembering to re-frame the question .
If we pull the focus wider to consider how well the UK is doing generally on these issues , the Global Gender Gap Index , which has measured the world ’ s progress towards gender parity since 2006 , reports that 68.1 % of the gap has now been closed – and that , at the current rate , it will take 132 years to reach gender parity . Before anyone smugly assumes this doesn ’ t really apply to the developed world , it ’ s worth noting that the UK is not in the global top 10 – whilst Rwanda , Nicaragua and Namibia are . We ’ re also falling currently and are now out of the top 20 at number 22 . What about other forms of representation ? To embody a true reflection of the UK population , 14 % of corporate employees would be ethnically non-white ; 22 % would have some form of disability ( a figure that changes radically with age , with 9 % of children counted as disabled compared to 59 % of over-80s ), whilst 15 % of all teams would be neurodiverse .
Attitudes Attitudes at least have changed in the right
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direction . When I started out , women were regularly asked at interview if they were married or considering having children . To be fully ‘ present ’ in your role ( and able to travel at the drop of a hat ), the assumption was that you were either male or a young or much older female . Women ‘ in their prime ’ were expected to be at home with the children - an assumption never made about men . Far from then addressing the need for better equality of parental leave or more support for women re-entering the industry , this effectively excluded many women and halted career progression .
Change Achieving change is about open , frank conversations , serving to expose underlying attitudes and causalities . We won ’ t have more women on crews , for example , until we have more women in construction . Mentoring is vital too , which is how allwomen organisations help speed up the pace of change . Once equality is achieved , they can rightfully be perceived as ‘ exclusive ’. Until then , they ’ re confidenceboosting and celebratory . We ’ d like to see more men in what have traditionally been perceived as the ‘ softer ’ roles too : HR , client liaison , marketing and PR . Let ’ s progress side by side into a more equal future . Equality makes us all more civilised , men and women alike and even improves our health and wellbeing . No lesser authority than The World Health Organisation says so . EN
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