The business 'community' and women: a few remaining gripes

In today's Manchester Evening News, Helen Tither writes about the ways in which women can makes strides in the world of business, and some of the obstacles they face.

Largely drawing on comments from Jane Kenyon of Cheshire-based Well Heeled Divas, the piece rightly points out that women naturally have certain qualities that stand them in good stead for running their own business - negotiation skills and problem-solving in particular.

One of the challenges identified is that women form emotional attachments to their businesses, and that this mind-set can sometimes stop them from growing successful lifestyle businesses into something bigger. I can identify with this; it's a problem I had with Smith & Smith PR in its earliest days.

There are some things on a practical level that still annoy me about the business environment and its inclusivity or otherwise towards women business owners and managers, including the business scene in and around Manchester.

Although things seem to be improving year on year, one gripe is that too many business networking events are still geared towards businessmen rather than businesspeople; I'd include anything involving golf, karting, days at the races and anything that combines networking with televised sporting events in this category. An upcoming IoD event in Manchester, for example, includes a screening of a football match as part of the evening. I'm not saying no businesswomen like football, but it's a question of making businesswomen welcome as part of the business community, not as an afterthought. It's a shame, because in general I think IoD events are very much egalitarian.

Other gripes include speculative business letters addressed to 'Mr' Smith; businessmen who look at your chest while you're speaking; and the lack of consideration for female guests by hotels who purport to be 'business' hotels.

It's not a man's world, but just occasionally it can feel like one.

Comments

[Bill Dueease]

Jane, what are your reasons for going to these business events? If it is to conduct business and the other business owners are going to profit from your presence, I bet your gender will not hamper you in any way. Finding your desired niche of business owners where you feel at home is your right. But to feel that business groups that have created their own niche and culture, should conform to yours is a bit unfair. NAWBO is a special niche designed for women business owners. Would it be fair for a male to complain about NAWBO like you did about the male groups? Doubtful.

[Laura Wolfe]

Interesting Nathan. I'll give this some thought. My intial idea is that maybe women who are juggling families and careers have to be more selective about the events they attend. Maybe they feel that it is more likely that a themed event will be time well spent and that they are more likely to meet like minded people with the same interests and that general events may not be such a safe bet. Just a thought.

Jane - I think that the IoD has a role to play with perhaps providing decent events for businesswomen. There is a gap for serious business events I think. Many are trying to cash in on what they see as a lucrative market but getting it badly wrong!

[Sharan Tash]

Thank you Jane for the post about networking events. When I first started networking for my now x-husband's dental practice I was networking in mixed groups of people. I have always felt comfortable being around men and communicating with them. My problem was communicating with women, so I decided to try a women's only group. I signed up for two events in two days with two different groups.
WOW - the first group made me almost want to run out of the room. The women were talking about their cats, where they get their hair and nails done - NOTHING about business. I almost did not attend the event the next evening.
What a difference the next night!!!! I went to a NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners) event. These were women business owners and we discussed business. What a novel idea!
I joined immediately and have been involved for the past 3 years.
I don't feel men and women are black and white in their networking styles. I feel that personality plays a key role in how people connect. That has been my experience.
Thank you again for the post.
Sharan Tash
The Professional Networker

[Jane]

Laura - you've made some fair points there and yes, I think I may well have been doing golfing and sport-loving women a disservice. I take it back! Actually I also dislike a lot of the events out there that are targeted specifically at women. I don't think they help matters a lot of times.

James - yes that's interesting about women techies. I love Tara Hunt's blog - and she's written a great piece re: online activity on the threat / perception of danger to women online as opposed to actual / possible danger.

[Nathan Smith]

Laura, I agree with you here, plenty of women like sport play sport and like sport themed entertainment! Of course your example of being a season ticket holder at City is a case in point.

I don’t think you can be too sensitive around these events; you are always going to get some themes that some people don’t like. In my experience networking events always appear to be well attended by women when there is a theme, whatever that theme. I attend a number of non-themed networking events usually based around a breakfast format and the attendance by women is awful.

Any thoughts on how to get women to non themed networking events is appreciated.

Nathan

[Laura Wolfe]

Jane - There are plenty of business events aimed purely at women too - in fact there are too many in my opinion and most are patronising in the extreme. That aside, I think you are doing women a dis-service here. Many many women I know play golf, I think you will find that as many women go to corporate days at the races as men and there are many many women who are interested in football. In terms of the IoD, I would like to think that we hold events for everyone - different people like different events - you can't please all of the people all of the time. As a Man City season ticket holder (and a woman!), I can't wait for the Business of Football debate on 17th October - we've got a cracking panel. Indeed it's sold out! Laura Wolfe, Regional Director, IoD North West

[James]

What a very restrained rant there Jane! I thought you were really going to go to town on us sexist men and our old fashioned ways!
I'm in total agreement though in all honesty, it's clear that in some spheres women are still suffering from the years of backwards thinking by executives and the male business majority.
For more reading on this topic I'd highly recommend the blog of Tara Hunt, HorsePigCow::marketing uncommon (http://www.horsepigcow.com/). Tara is a geek girl and proud and her struggle to achieve legitimacy and equality in the tech sector (perhaps the most male dominated sector) is really well documented there.
And finally, to play devil's advocate briefly, where's the PR Geek Girl Dinner hosted by you and Susan for the major female movers and shakers in Manchester?? If you build it, I think they'll definitely come...