Home » Group Services » Welcoming Women

Why women are less involved, what you can do.

Submitted by ssaalison on Mon, 2006-04-24 15:16.

 

·      They physically don’t see many other women at meetings

·      The discussions seem to be somewhat unwelcoming

·      Leadership positions are not being given to women as much

 

What Your Group Can Do

 

·       Invite your friends, simply having other women in the room may make newcomers feel more comfortable, and your friends will likely have a good time and spread the word

·       Appoint Women to Leadership Positions.  Having a woman Prez. will help your estrogen-friendly image!

·       Focus on Women’s issues—(see the attached list of interesting topics)

·       For discussions-appoint a moderator who will make sure that the regular members are not monopolizing the discussion, and that newcomers are invited to participate in the conversation.   

·       Team up with Campus NOW, or Amnesty International, host an event with the ‘Women and Gender Studies’ department.  Be creative, locate other women’s organizations at your school and collaborate. 

 

 

up
printer-friendly version | login or register to post comments
( categories: )
"Women's issues"
Submitted by hbruggink on Wed, 2007-02-07 17:12.

You know, I am very supportive of much of the SSA's activities. I think it's incredibly important for students - especially those in environments not traditionally open to nontheists - to realize that they are not alone in their beliefs. But...

(And this is a big "but.")

Is it any wonder that there aren't many women involved in groups spanning the nontheistic spectrum? The suggestions here, frankly, highlight exactly why this is. "Academic discussions seem to be somewhat unwelcoming" to women? Women comprise over half of university students in the United States; obviously, they are comfortable with academic discussions. "There is not a draw to women to engage in casual activities that they might enjoy" such as a "knitting circle or a beading event." How many campus groups do you know of that engage in beading circles?

The way to gain more women members is not to patronize them by suggesting knitting groups or by focusing on "women's issues" (the definition of which is, in itself, problematic, as "women's issues" are truly human issues) but rather to examine the larger issues of how your group - and the movement - shows that it does value all members equally.

login or register to post comments