At Women+ in Design PGH, our mission is to make the design industries of Pittsburgh more diverse, more inclusive, and more equitable. We cannot do this work alone. Not only do men occupy many of the leadership positions that make decisions about hiring, compensation, and project work, but we work together everyday on teams that are diverse and include people of all genders. Working together more effectively is essential to successful projects. But we also need male allies to champion the work women are doing since we are still not making the same gains as men in the workplace.
However, we also still need spaces where we can gather as women and women-identified persons. There is a camaraderie in our events (physical and virtual) that comes from the intimacy of the community of women, from sharing our experiences, and from the safe space that is created when we get together. Unless otherwise stated, our events are currently reserved for participation by women and women-identified persons only. When we do offer mixed gender events, we will certainly let you know.
We appreciate our male allies who have come forward recently asking how to be supportive. Thank you for standing up for gender equity! While we cannot invite men to our events at the current time and appreciate your understanding of why this space is important to us, we are thrilled to include you as part of the greater W+iD PGH community.
To address the question of how male allies can support us and our efforts to drive equity in our offices and projects, we encourage you to listen to this great podcast from Harvard Business Review. This episode of Women at Work presents "Helping Men Help Us," and includes great resources for what men can do in the workplace to be better allies.
Regardless of your gender expression and identification, we need you to be gender equity warriors. Thank you for engaging in this work with us and for us and we look forward to partnering on moving the needle on equity and inclusivity in our offices, firms, and community.