Thanks for writing this Martha! This particularly resonated - "This is what I find most enraging—the disconnect between what we know to be true and what we're willing to do about it."
Thank you for writing this, Martha. It needed to be said.
Last summer, I spent a lot of time talking to past, present and potential sponsors for Ada Lovelace Day to try to understand whether the event – or should I say movement, given how many people celebrate it around the world – could continue. Company after company told me that they were up against it financially, and couldn't afford to sponsor anything that wasn't going to directly result in sales.
So I made the difficult decision to close it. And the response from industry: Crickets.
I know of so many other organisations and campaigns for women in STEM that have had to close or scale back operations, or who have just gone dark, and for the vast majority funding is the problem.
When I founded Ada Lovelace Day in 2009, there was nothing like it. No grassroots organisations campaigning for women in STEM the way I was. Over the last 16 years, similar groups and organisations have sprung up all over the place, each serving their own specific audience. It's been marvellous.
But what we're seeing now isn't a consolidation – that would imply that the women and girls served by one closed organisation are now being served by another, but that's not what's happening. What we're seeing is a wholesale abandonment.
We're losing all that expertise, all that knowledge of what does work. We're losing all those supportive communities of women (and men). We're losing all that visibility, the role models, the inspiration. It's all been tossed out because a small number of incredibly powerful and influential men have figured out that they can let their misogyny show and they won't suffer any repercussions.
I genuinely don't know how we move forward or what we do next. I don't even know what I do next.
I’m so sorry - you have worked so hard - and you have made a difference in awareness so well done. But, we all have to rethink and recognise that nothing has worked and so how are we going to reframe the arguments.
I was having this conversation just last night. What we've done hasn't worked, so we need new tactics. But we also need an arena in which to discuss what that might look like, and at the moment that's also missing.
A beautiful, well written piece. I think about the world I want to help build for my future daughters. I found "Companies are rebranding their efforts or abandoning them altogether because they fear being labeled "woke."" to be quite stimulating. I wonder what about 'wokeness' went 'wrong' (wrong in the sense the world's top companies fear to be labeled it). A famous saying I've heard is "go woke, go broke" when it's clear companies with a diverse background are clearly performing better. When you said "Personally I do not want to put my pronouns on my profile, but I do want more people from more genders and more ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds to be the influential voices around me." I think you answered my question around where wokeness went 'wrong', pendulum swung too far and now we're seeing it swing to the other side.
I think the picture might be even worse than the data shows, considering the high proportion of technology businesses who use contractors, and theyre often not included in the data; and women are leaving self employment, according to recent IPSE data. I think the businesses who care about DEI are just relabelling it, to carry on the good work. But far too many business are simply exhaling a sigh of relief and glad they can "carry on without having to worry about that nonsense", rather than seeing the clear commercial value and benefits which have been proven out by data, time and time again. Double ignorance.
Brilliant article, thank you - totally agree - not a time to celebrate. Thanks for saying you felt like crying, I cried too, and not just at the inauguration - this response probably seems ‘too emotional’ to many (likely many men), but perhaps can be a source of strength to totally come eye to eye with the new realities being inflicted to break progressive inroads, and instead feel fortified to work out possible options to do something to fight against the myopic agenda of (mostly) powerful people, who as you say are in the most part, men.
I’m usually a champion of IWD - I have approached it with the same vibrancy and advocacy as I have done Pride. But this year, I opted out. No events, no posts. The walls of the echo chamber feel too thick, we’re not breaking through. The people and institutions who shape our lives aren’t listening. I’ve read report after report about the economic benefits of investing in the care economy vs physical infrastructure, but nothing happens. Reports on the rate of success of female founded and funded companies, but the dial seems slow to change. I completely agree with you - I’m angry because of the disconnect between what we know to be true and what people are willing to do about it. Crucially, we need people with the energy to continue to advocate for that change and not give in to apathy…. Next year I’ll get back on track.
Thanks for writing this Martha! This particularly resonated - "This is what I find most enraging—the disconnect between what we know to be true and what we're willing to do about it."
Thank you for writing this, Martha. It needed to be said.
Last summer, I spent a lot of time talking to past, present and potential sponsors for Ada Lovelace Day to try to understand whether the event – or should I say movement, given how many people celebrate it around the world – could continue. Company after company told me that they were up against it financially, and couldn't afford to sponsor anything that wasn't going to directly result in sales.
So I made the difficult decision to close it. And the response from industry: Crickets.
I know of so many other organisations and campaigns for women in STEM that have had to close or scale back operations, or who have just gone dark, and for the vast majority funding is the problem.
When I founded Ada Lovelace Day in 2009, there was nothing like it. No grassroots organisations campaigning for women in STEM the way I was. Over the last 16 years, similar groups and organisations have sprung up all over the place, each serving their own specific audience. It's been marvellous.
But what we're seeing now isn't a consolidation – that would imply that the women and girls served by one closed organisation are now being served by another, but that's not what's happening. What we're seeing is a wholesale abandonment.
We're losing all that expertise, all that knowledge of what does work. We're losing all those supportive communities of women (and men). We're losing all that visibility, the role models, the inspiration. It's all been tossed out because a small number of incredibly powerful and influential men have figured out that they can let their misogyny show and they won't suffer any repercussions.
I genuinely don't know how we move forward or what we do next. I don't even know what I do next.
I’m so sorry - you have worked so hard - and you have made a difference in awareness so well done. But, we all have to rethink and recognise that nothing has worked and so how are we going to reframe the arguments.
I was having this conversation just last night. What we've done hasn't worked, so we need new tactics. But we also need an arena in which to discuss what that might look like, and at the moment that's also missing.
A beautiful, well written piece. I think about the world I want to help build for my future daughters. I found "Companies are rebranding their efforts or abandoning them altogether because they fear being labeled "woke."" to be quite stimulating. I wonder what about 'wokeness' went 'wrong' (wrong in the sense the world's top companies fear to be labeled it). A famous saying I've heard is "go woke, go broke" when it's clear companies with a diverse background are clearly performing better. When you said "Personally I do not want to put my pronouns on my profile, but I do want more people from more genders and more ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds to be the influential voices around me." I think you answered my question around where wokeness went 'wrong', pendulum swung too far and now we're seeing it swing to the other side.
Thank you for writing!
I think the picture might be even worse than the data shows, considering the high proportion of technology businesses who use contractors, and theyre often not included in the data; and women are leaving self employment, according to recent IPSE data. I think the businesses who care about DEI are just relabelling it, to carry on the good work. But far too many business are simply exhaling a sigh of relief and glad they can "carry on without having to worry about that nonsense", rather than seeing the clear commercial value and benefits which have been proven out by data, time and time again. Double ignorance.
Well said Martha. As someone who has been a leader in tech for most of my career...I'm am angry.
Greed, self interest and misogny is in overdrive.
They do not represent all men.
The power they wield with chainsaws means all genders suffer.
We have power in numbers.
You've expressed what I am feeling so perfectly. Thank you
Brilliant article, and a much-needed wake-up call to us all...
Brilliant article, thank you - totally agree - not a time to celebrate. Thanks for saying you felt like crying, I cried too, and not just at the inauguration - this response probably seems ‘too emotional’ to many (likely many men), but perhaps can be a source of strength to totally come eye to eye with the new realities being inflicted to break progressive inroads, and instead feel fortified to work out possible options to do something to fight against the myopic agenda of (mostly) powerful people, who as you say are in the most part, men.
I’m usually a champion of IWD - I have approached it with the same vibrancy and advocacy as I have done Pride. But this year, I opted out. No events, no posts. The walls of the echo chamber feel too thick, we’re not breaking through. The people and institutions who shape our lives aren’t listening. I’ve read report after report about the economic benefits of investing in the care economy vs physical infrastructure, but nothing happens. Reports on the rate of success of female founded and funded companies, but the dial seems slow to change. I completely agree with you - I’m angry because of the disconnect between what we know to be true and what people are willing to do about it. Crucially, we need people with the energy to continue to advocate for that change and not give in to apathy…. Next year I’ll get back on track.