Do we need more of "equal gender representation?"
Published on
4 Dec 2015 . 2 min read
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Rarely have I had occasion to laugh out loud during a tech conference, but this twitter exchange (picture above) had me doing just that. I was invited to attend an event on #Broadband4All, a great initiative my @EricssonIndia - but like last year, I was disappointed to see that not a single woman was on either of the panels. As we were all encouraged to tweet the event, I mentioned this online only to be called an "extremist" - which is when I laughed loudly, much to the surprise to those sitting around me.
These are the little things that remind us feminists, men and women alike, that we are indeed fighting a battle. Many in this world think that we women have already reached equal status - and we have made enormous progress in the last decades - but we are not there yet, especially not globally. And while I really don't like the idea of having to 'fight' anyone, that is just what I have to do when confronted with those who take offence at the idea of hiring a slightly less qualified woman than a man. You know what, suck it up and do it because that woman took a much longer, harder, arduous path to be standing in front of you today. If you don't give her this opportunity, she will remain 'less qualified' forever.
What struck me most at the event is that Ericsson, as a Swedish company, is actually making huge strides towards gender equality in its organisation. And while there is an obvious disparity between the genders in technology, you cannot tell me there were zero possible female candidates for either of the panels. Worst case scenario - get a female moderator! Although such extremist action may offend @bolpramodbol and irreparably damage the level of discussion...
By Shampa Saira Bari
SHEROES
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