Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

Women-only network appoints male chairman

32 replies

IAmInsignificunt · 06/08/2018 14:12

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-45083594

“A networking group with the aim of supporting female leaders has been criticised for appointing a male chairman.
AllBright announced that Allan Leighton, chairman of the Co-operative Group, had taken the role.
The privately-run group describes itself as "the network for working women in the UK".
Co-founder Debbie Wosskow defended the decision, saying that to create change you "need to bring men with you".”

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
LighthouseSouth · 08/08/2018 23:38

I should add - the Women's Equality Party don't really have the right to criticise though....

tobee · 08/08/2018 23:36

Ffs

LighthouseSouth · 08/08/2018 23:24

I read about this earlier - beyond ridiculous.

that said, I did wonder how they got round equality law setting up a women's business club initially - I might be totally wrong but when I heard about it (on here) - that was the first thing I thought.

I note they admit male guests but if they are actually saying men can't join, how long will they get away with that?

it is utterly pathetic - the founders themselves will have access to the best women for the job and they clearly picked a man for a reason. I'll be interested to see how it unfolds and what the reason turns out to be.

Mumminmum · 08/08/2018 23:19

What the F?

UptonSnodbury · 07/08/2018 22:40

It's definitely disappointing but also somewhat unsurprising to me. Don't women consistently vote in preference of having a male boss? In even greater percentages than men do IIRC.

gendercritter · 07/08/2018 10:08

This is so depressing!

GoldenWonderwall · 07/08/2018 10:05

Meet the new boss...

I get the impression with a lot of these things it’s successful women wanting to patronise other women by telling them everything they’re doing wrong (lean in, don’t mention your kids, work late late late) because it bolsters their success by not challenging the status quo. They then are allowed to be successful because there’s no proper challenge to the big boys that are really pulling the strings. Appointing a male chair is like rolling over and showing your belly imho, there’s no real threat here.

Ereshkigal · 06/08/2018 22:07

It supposedly has the purpose of supporting women in leadership. You don't find it a teeny tiny bit ironic that they've put a man in charge?

AndreaTheGreat · 06/08/2018 21:55

True that you don't see many male tea makers. However, isn't the concept of an 'all women' group a bit sexist in itself?

Jaxhog · 06/08/2018 17:14

Of course it COULD be seen that the only way women can get their message across to men at the top, is to have a man at the top to say it? Not because a woman can't do the job, but because men only listen to other men.

SarahCarer · 06/08/2018 17:09

Ugh. Part of me thinks if they have some concrete things they wish to achieve this may very well help. Another part of me feels angry at myself for believing this. The biggest part feels angry that this is the scale of the barriers women face.

IncrediblySturdyPyjamas · 06/08/2018 17:04

Idiots.

BlingLoving · 06/08/2018 17:04

I'd love to know what their members think....

Original poster
IAmInsignificunt · 06/08/2018 16:57

So the only way to engage men in supporting women in work is to put them in charge? Is that the only way they will engage?

So it seems.
They have no interest in boosting women unless they get the boost to the top.

These women are just so progressive and ahead of all of us. Don’t you know we need to bring the little men with us?
Insert SNEERING EMOJI

OP posts:
TerfsUp · 06/08/2018 16:54

Way to sell out.

groundcontroltomontydon · 06/08/2018 16:52

Heard this on the Today programme. You couldn't make it up. Three and a half billion women in the world and they appoint a man - what a way to champion womenHmm

UpstartCrow · 06/08/2018 16:50

I did like the mental image of bringing men with me. To give me the legitimacy I so clearly lack..

womanformallyknownaswoman · 06/08/2018 16:47

You have to have a dick to make it
Or so men think regarding profit.
The facts always prove otherwise
But are again so much denied.
It blinds the women of Allbright
And has really put them to flight.
Or maybe they really are thick
Or possibly very big twits

DarklyDreamingDexter · 06/08/2018 15:32

I've just seem this in the BBC app. It's a bloody laugh, isn't it? Looking forward to the day an all male group appoints a female chair, or the day hell freezes over, which will probably happen first.

CarefullyDrawnMap · 06/08/2018 15:03

It is exactly like the Onion thing.

I heard their rep on the today programme this morning and she was crap too - clearly reading out from some pre-prepared script rather than just speaking normally, which came across extremely badly. It was irritating in the extreme.

SisterNotCisTerf · 06/08/2018 15:03

So the only way to engage men in supporting women in work is to put them in charge? Is that the only way they will engage? Why would a man who supported women in work take this role? Why wouldn’t he decline it and offer up some women’s names that he knows could do the role probably better than him? What are his motives?

EBearhug · 06/08/2018 14:56

I. Just. Can't.

Of course you can't, Vicky. You're not a man.

I agree that we need men on-side. I don't think that means taking up all the lead positions. That's just same-old same-old.

VickyEadie · 06/08/2018 14:45

I. Just. Can't.

CardsforKittens · 06/08/2018 14:45

The first thing I thought of was that Onion piece. FFS.

OlennasWimple · 06/08/2018 14:38

No, obviously not one single solitary qualified woman in the whole wide world wanted the job Hmm

Swipe left for the next trending thread