Making space for women to speak

Images ridiculing all-male panels convened to discuss issues relating to women are increasingly being shared on social media and in the press. Such panels carry a harmful message. They communicate a false claim that women are less worth listening to, less fit for leadership, less knowledgeable, and less able to speak. They reinforce the harmful gender norms which HRP is working to counteract. Women and girls make up 50% of the population and are the major focus of our work, yet they are often not part of the panels at which their issues are discussed. A recent report issued by the World Economic Forum has indicated that the gender gap is worsening. This gap is the underlying cause for the lack of women’s representation on panels.

As one small but powerful step towards closing this gap and promoting parity between women and men, HRP has adopted a policy that will promote women’s voices by reviewing the composition of panels either hosted by HRP or on which HRP staff invited to speak.

Goal

To be “fit for purpose” panels must be appropriate in terms of their composition. The goal is to ensure that HRP staff consciously avoid participating in all-male panels externally, and to ensure that HRP panels are made up of at least 50% women. It is important, of course, to ensure that panels also include an appropriate and adequate representation of the populations under discussion (e.g. youth), including minorities.

Policy

In the event that a panel does not include women, or adequate numbers of the audience it represents, the following actions are required:

HRP Panels

If the panel is an HRP-organised panel, focused on issues relevant to women and/or girls, it should be adjusted to ensure that women make up at least 50% of the panel.

External Panel

• For external panels, HRP staff should not participate in an all-male panel. All-male panels and any other concern with the panel composition should be signalled to the organizers in a respectful and polite manner, inviting them to adjust the panel accordingly. Propose an alternative representative.
• If an alternative representative is not acceptable, staff should withdraw from the panel with an explanation to the organizers as to why. Withdrawing from a panel is an option also available to women who feel that being on a panel in a minority or as a “token” woman puts them in an uncomfortable position.
• Where women are a minority on a panel, highlight this to the organizers of the event and invite them to include other women on the panel. Alternative panel members should be sought and proposed.
  

 

As the Sustainable Development Goals show, addressing gender inequality brings great benefits to us all.