New women's network at work

[jakeyboy1]

Questionnaire on nee womens network to be formed at work.

Question 1: "How can we get more men to join?"

FFS!

Are there that many men who identify as women even at your workplace? What a ridiculous and pointless first question.
What's your response??

Oh we have this. The men are "allies". I worked out pretty quickly I wasn't interested in being a part of The Women’s Network.

I replied (in my most PC tone) along the lines of I don't think this should be a priority right now we have other issues to focus on (lists many issues) but perhaps these issues could be aimed as education pieces at the males.

We encourage men to get involved in our women's network. We need allies and supporters. My work is very heavily male dominated and without male allies we wouldn't get very far.

Oh you mean it was asking about actual male identified men. I did assume another type of man, sorry.
Still a daft question mind. Can't anything be for just women?

@thirstyformore totally get that but I wouldn't have made it point 1!

I suppose it depends on what the purpose of the network is for? What is it trying to achieve?

Why not call it a 'workers network' if both men & women can join?

This is what I found.

Old work wanted to start a women's network.

By time it came to fruition was gender equality network for all genders.

First meeting well attended as got a woman with sporting background.

She was super nervous and talked about the sexism in her sport how men but invited to do lucrative/ interesting things after stepping back from elite but women didn't.

It was heartfelt and brilliant.

Questions.

Couple to her.

Then one saying seeing as how you're here big boss man what about this.

Boss man stood went to front stood literally in front of woman speaker. Said how since having daughters he'd realised that sexism was bad.

Next question also to him. From a woman.

I think that with the diversity focus there's a real problem that men who are white etc are in danger of being overlooked.

Boss man drivels on.

Still standing in front of woman.

The sector has a pay gap of more than 40%, and there are very few low paid roles.

It was like 80% middle aged het white men.

That's how it works.

You may have missed a memo?

Oh and beforehand one of the blokes on my team had a rant about the non existent hang gliding classes for lesbian Muslim women.

I kid you not.

I mean he made something up to go on about how women etc are privileged.

Not that he thought they were a good idea!

Digression but...

In my view the very first question for these women's groups should always be, How can we get women over 40 to join.
I'll tell you why. I was in these groups in my early twenties and I genuinely thought there was no sexism in my workplace. Women in their 40s, 50s and 60s have come out the other side of the childbirth, breastfeeding, career-juggling, part-time juggernaut. They KNOW what sexism at work looks like.
So I'd start there.

Guineapigbridge - absolutely Definitely.

@Guineapigbridge

Digression but...

In my view the very first question for these women's groups should always be, How can we get women over 40 to join.
I'll tell you why. I was in these groups in my early twenties and I genuinely thought there was no sexism in my workplace. Women in their 40s, 50s and 60s have come out the other side of the childbirth, breastfeeding, career-juggling, part-time juggernaut. They KNOW what sexism at work looks like.
So I'd start there.

If you have any women in their 40s,50s and 60s left.

I've been at my workplace since I graduated. Huge MNC. I'm now early 40s with two DC and feel like a serious minority. There are a few senior managers but it feels like vv few middle managers at my level.

Well, I went on mat leave came back and the Women's network had morphed into the gender equality network. I went to a meeting on miscarriage and the one male in the room kept saying we had to be male inclusive. I didn't ask if this was about transmen or partners of women who have miscarried. I think my response to the answer may have gotten me fired

It's just infuriating!

My company set up some 'lean in circles'. I wasn't too convinced by that concept anyway, but might have given it a go until the next set of memos were lauding male allies joining up. And then the one in our area seemed to be being lead by a bloke. He's a nice guy (helpful IT chap, my first port of call when I've got hardware problems) and I'm sure meant well but....

Having events with male allies is fine but call it something else. The Women's Network should be for women. If there are men in it then it will be something else, the dynamic is bound to be different.

Is there a network for people of colour/ ethnic minorities? Is question 1 how can they get white british to sign up?

Lean in sounded interesting when came in (20 years ago or something)

But quickly came clear that it was from the pov of ignoring structural discrimination, in favour of saying women you're doing it wrong. If you did it right there would be no issues.

I mean I didn't read it but that was the summary on things I read way back then.

Just googling this piece about it

'This idea pisses off a lot of women. Not just women who have sacrificed their careers to raise families, but also those of us who are charging forward with them. There are a couple of reasons why Sheryl’s message gets women so riled up.

The first is that most us are jealous of Sheryl'

!!!!!!

'Indeed, the fact that you are most to blame for your own failure is hard to face.'

yowzers!

Maybe there needs to be less 'women! Lean in!' And more 'men....butt out'?

@jakeyboy1 any update on how it is going, or have you chosen not to participate?

Guineapigbridge I don’t disagree at all we have a similar challenge with younger women where I am - yet I am one of the few senior women we have and I’m not in my 40’s yet

I have been at the firm a while and we either lost the more senior women / never hired at senior level any women

And many of the senior partners still can’t see why women struggle to imagine themselves in roles that only mainly white men have today (most often supported by a SAHP who they acknowledge does “everything” outside work)… as per a PP it’s not imposter syndrome / lack of imagination etc

Maybe I am missing something but what was the point of calling it a women’s network if they want men to join as well
Isn’t it just a new network.

We have a ‘gender network’ that replaced our women’s network. It decided to hold its launch event on International Men’s Day to show how progressive we are.

Me and another senior woman sat there slightly agog as a couple of junior female staff and a few senior men (who should know better) enthused about this idea.

Funnily enough the LGBT, ethnic minority, differently abled and neurodiverse groups haven’t been asked to rebrand to be more inclusive - just the women.

@newnortherner111 no update yet I imagine they are analysing the survey results ;)