The Pledge

“At a public conference I won’t serve on a panel of two people or more unless there is at least one woman on the panel, not including the Chair.”

Make The Pledge

2,525 signatures

Frequently asked questions

What happens if we have tried to find women but there is nobody available?

Try harder. I’ll be happy to suggest some women who would be much better than me. You may need to organise your conference a little earlier to be sure of getting women on your panels.

What happens if a woman drops out and we end up with a men-only panel?

There are many brilliant women – please find someone else to take her place.

What if a woman drops out at very short notice?

I get it: shit happens. You could cover yourself by planning to have two women on the panel (gosh!). But if I’ve agreed to be on a panel I won’t let you down if something genuinely unforseen happens. (But if this means a male-only panel, you’ll have to forgive me in advance for the fact that I am going to tease you about this in the meeting.)

Organising conferences is hard enough already?

The Gendered Conference Campaign has some great advice for conference organisers.

What else can we do?

Keep drawing attention to the issue. If you are at a conference with male-only panels, call it out.
Audit your events and keep track of the trends
Be mindful about promoting women through social media

Who has taken the pledge?

Latest Signatures

<< < > >>

Another list of people who have made the same commitment: www.manpanels.org

Coverage and Inspiration

Last year, six leading Washington think tanks presented more than 150 events on the Middle East that included not a single woman speaker. Fewer than one-quarter of all the speakers at the 232 events at those think tanks recorded in our newly compiled data-set were women.
“The mysterious absence of women from Middle East policy debates“ – Tamara Cofman Wittes and Marc Lynch, Washington Post Money Cage, January 20th 2015

Because I believe you cannot conduct constructive discourse on international issues without the participation of women, I recently decided not to speak on any panels that did not include women. I’m not writing this to seek a pat on the back. But because any discussion that does not include women’s perspectives or that reflexively excludes or fails to seek out the women who are leaders in their fields in virtually any and every subject on this agenda will be deeply inadequate and will only compound distortions of gender bias that exist because of our long history of systematic exclusion of women’s views. I’d much rather participate in discussions where the organizers actually demonstrate that they are committed to producing the best possible work product.

“Still waiting for Davos Woman” by David Rothkopf, FP Magazine, January 22nd, 2015

I often attend panels or discussions dominated by men, especially in technology. This is problematic since it sends the signal that only men have the expertise in their given field. To their credit, some men are initiating change.
“Three Ways To Change The Ratio of Women Receiving VC“ – Leah Eichler, Inc Website, November 10th 2014

There is no topic that cannot be discussed by women. There is no circumstance that would prevent one from inviting women. There is simply no rational excuse for excluding women. And, if you are invited to join a panel with no women, you must conclude it is being organized by fools.
“Why I will no longer speak on all-male panels“ – Scott Gilmore, Macleans, October 4th, 2014

156 Comments

Kev Corbett · January 21, 2015 at 1:54 pm

This is all over the music field. I stand with my bosses, colleagues, and pals.

nicole colbeck · January 21, 2015 at 2:29 pm

So many rumblings surrounding this issue, must become loud and must have awareness-raising at the heart of their goals. Attempts at gender conscious programming are weak at best, as are efforts which consider other diversity issues on panels, etc.

This is a solid pledge. Thank you.

graydon james · January 21, 2015 at 2:52 pm

This is a fantastic pledge, and I hope it generates real change in the way conference organizers (and all kinds of organizers!) think and plan their events. Credit to those who already do — thank you!

John O'Keefe · January 21, 2015 at 4:54 pm

I honestly can’t see why this would be a problem, women are everywhere… doing everything. I do so pledge.

Stanley Anyigu · November 30, 2016 at 3:04 pm

I have just finished 8 days National review meeting and Guidelines/ strategy validation workshop in Juba. More than 40% of the participants and presenters were women!

Alexis Morgan · January 24, 2015 at 7:34 pm

A small action that hopefully gives others pause for thought. Cheers Owen for championing this.

Harry Palmier · January 27, 2015 at 12:40 am

Leah Eichler stated in Nvember 2014 that he ” often attend panels or discussions dominated by men, especially in technology. This is problematic since it sends the signal that only men have the expertise in their given field. To their credit, some men are initiating change.”

And it is correc that gender is the balanced and equitable sharing of responsibilities between me n and women and one still don’t see how his could happe n still today without some sort of affirmative action and positive discrimination today in favor of women in many sectors where they are yet left behind .

The Pledge advocating for more balanced meetings/panel discussions etc is certainly a good initiative to support

With kind regards

Paul LUU · January 27, 2015 at 7:54 am

Just a simple idea that may change our global behaviour in the near future. It should be easy to find women for panel as they are more numerous on earth than we are …
Thank you for the initiative.

Tarek Masoud · January 28, 2015 at 12:32 am

I’m happy to make this pledge.

Dave Tickner · January 28, 2015 at 8:17 am

Happy to sign up. It’s not just about gender – a broader diversity of viewpoints is important.

Stuart Orr · January 28, 2015 at 8:51 am

Great initiative – and about time. Happy to sign up.

Kim Marotta · January 28, 2015 at 1:54 pm

Thanks! Agree with David Tickner that a broader diversity of viewpoints is important,

Heather Lanthorn · February 13, 2015 at 12:03 am

Agree with this point as well, of course — happy to support diverse viewpoints. Cass Sunstein and Reid Hastie (in ‘Wiser’) make clear dangers of not doing so.

sarah hartley · January 29, 2015 at 10:45 am

At last this issue hits the agenda!

Ravinder Anand-Ivell · January 29, 2015 at 10:55 am

In addition I would add that Women are equally equipped to make appropriate decisions.

Peter Ryan · January 29, 2015 at 12:03 pm

I’m in – great initiative!

Susan MacMillan · February 1, 2015 at 9:02 am

Delighted to sign up! Thanks for the initiative.

Boris Martin · February 2, 2015 at 12:12 pm

Using our power to address the biases that have given us that power in the first place. I like it.

Would you pledge to require that there be at least one female candidate for the next top job you get recruited for?

Owen Barder · February 4, 2015 at 12:06 pm

Boris – thanks. I’m in favour of requiring women on shortlists.

Lalu Maya Kadel · February 11, 2015 at 4:10 am

Great idea, Great initiative….wish for great success on ground!

Heather Lanthorn · February 12, 2015 at 11:57 pm

Heather Lanthorn
3ie and Harvard School of Public Health

Thanks for your efforts, Owen!

Heather Lanthorn · February 13, 2015 at 12:09 am

Just to clarify — it would also be nice not to see ‘gender’ panels that are only women!

Chanda Gurung Goodrich · February 15, 2015 at 5:54 am

YES!!!

gwen hines · February 12, 2016 at 9:47 am

Definitely true. This should work both ways.

Massimo Diana · February 23, 2015 at 6:15 pm

I SAY NO TO #ManPanels

Massimo Diana (Mr.)
Head
UN Resident Coordinator Office
Nepal

David G. V Smith · March 1, 2015 at 9:36 am

Owen, I have signed the pledge- great idea should be a principle rather than a requirement.

David G.V SMITH
Director
+44 20 8788 4666 | +44 203 327 8847 (direct)| [email protected] | http://www.tripleline.com
skype: dgvsmith

Rupert Simons · April 28, 2015 at 2:09 pm

Better late than never!

Rupert Simons, Publish What You Fund

Javier Padilla · May 4, 2015 at 6:50 pm

I really support this initiativa.

My affiliation:

Javier Padilla Bernáldez
Physician.
Andalusian Health Service.
Seville, Spain.
@javierpadillab

Conor Liam Bolton · May 13, 2015 at 9:31 pm

I think it’s a great idea to encourage diversity in all public discourse, but I’m surprised and disappointed in the exclusionary language of this pledge. The posts on this site go out of their way to say that there is no subject about which women cannot speak…that is certainly very true…and that there should never be a public panel discussion without a healthy ratio of females…but when it actually declares the pledge, it says nothing about all woman panels. In the interest of true equality, shouldn’t it encourage that people abstain from any panel that excludes either gender? It is true that there is no subject that could not benefit from a woman’s perspective, but is the opposite not also true?

Amy Charles · May 14, 2015 at 2:28 pm

@@ Because there are so very many all-women panels that are not about how to succeed in business despite discrimination against women. If you actually bother to look, and I don’t think you have, you’ll find that academic panels discussing women’s-studies/gender issues generally do have men on them.

Because the women are already conscious of this issue and take it seriously.

Amy Charles · May 14, 2015 at 2:25 pm

Well… that’s a good start, but you’ve set us up now for tokenism. I’d suggest bumping it to two women, Bechdel-like. You know, where the question’s whether a movie’s got two women, with names, who at any point in the movie have a conversation without a man around, about something other than a man.

Andy Jones · May 15, 2015 at 10:52 am

I’m in

Andy Jones

Radio Film

and if you haven’t watched this already, powerful story from Theo Sowa http://www.global1.youth-leader.org/2012/05/theo-sowa-at-tedxchange-africas-new-great-women%E2%80%99s-voices/

Ian Shapiro · May 16, 2015 at 9:28 am

Good stuff. Practical. And certain to lead to better conferences.

I’m in.

Ian Shapiro

Head of Private Sector Department

Department for International Development

Phil Blomer · May 20, 2015 at 11:02 am

I sign the pledge – it’s the 21st Century! Phil Bloomer, Executive Director, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre

Daniel Hale · May 20, 2015 at 1:18 pm

Count me in! Is the only way to force the issue.

Daniel Hale, Women’s Rights Campaign Manager, ActionAid UK

Romesh Vaitilingam · May 22, 2015 at 1:53 pm

Dave Ramsden was talking up your initiative at a recent RES/GES/Bank conference in response to a question about getting more women into economics – you should get him to sign up!

David McNair · May 22, 2015 at 3:55 pm

I’m in.

Jon Shepherd · May 27, 2015 at 11:48 am

great pledge owen – count me in.

Jon Shepherd – no affiliation.

Danny Chivers · May 27, 2015 at 1:52 pm

I am in support of this – and please do sign me up – but note that an end to all-male panels doesn’t just mean proper representation of women, it means proper representation for trans people too. So I’d prefer to see this pledge worded as “At a public conference I won’t serve on a panel of two people or more unless there is at least one non-male panel member, not including the Chair.” Also, “We believe that public discourse would be improved by better representation of all genders.”

Any chance of changing the wording in that way? It would keep the same meaning for the pledge without excluding a large swathe of people who are even more disproportionately under-represented than women at these kinds of events.

Danny Chivers

Author of the No-Nonsense Guide to Climate Change and the No-Nonsense Guide to Renewable Energy

Kevin Smith · May 27, 2015 at 2:25 pm

Very happy to pledge to this

Tania Alfonso · May 28, 2015 at 4:01 pm

How is this pledge being enforced? I’m at a conference not only attended, but ORGANIZED by one of the individuals on this pledge list. Opening panel – all white European men.

Owen Barder · May 28, 2015 at 6:59 pm

Tania: that is terrible! Please take photos and put them on the All Male Panels tumblr blog …

http://allmalepanels.tumblr.com/

Richard Pickard · May 29, 2015 at 5:41 am

Excellent — though it has been quite a while since I’ve been on an all-male panel….

Gregor Maxwell · May 29, 2015 at 9:24 am

I think this is a very good initiative and will happily sign myself up to it!

Martin Siefkes · May 29, 2015 at 11:16 am

Great initiative! Please add me to the list.

Dr. Martin Siefkes
Technische Universität Chemnitz
D-09111 Chemnitz
Germany

http://www.siefkes.de

John Armstrong · May 30, 2015 at 7:47 am

Of course! As it should be.

Morty · June 13, 2015 at 4:10 am

It seems frightening to me, abandoning the meritocratic approach to debates. Shouldn’t we find the best people for the job, regardless of gender? Rather than arbitrarily deciding, that having both sexes on every panel automatically makes it better?

Owen Barder · June 13, 2015 at 4:01 pm

Morty – I don’t regard this as abandoning the meritocratic approach to debates. I regard it as considering the qualities needed for the panel as a whole, rather than considering each panel member separately. Just as management teams are better when they are diverse, debates and ideas are better when they are exposed to diverse viewpoints. We will have more and better ideas when we open our debates to more diversity.

Gary P. · July 7, 2015 at 9:48 pm

Please add me to the list. Gender equality is WAY overdue!!

Shane Bartlett · September 2, 2015 at 10:28 am

Inclusion and gender balance, are the beginning, not the end of addressing gender inequality.

I believe that public discourse would be improved by better representation of all genders. At a public conference I won’t serve on a panel of two people or more unless there is at least one non-male panel member, not including the Chair.

Shane Bartlett
Country Director
Educat Rwanda
http://www.educat.dk

Gavin Yamey · October 28, 2015 at 11:32 am

This is a superb idea, and I would like to sign the pledge. Please do add my name.

Gavin Yamey

Professor of the Practice of Global Health & Public Policy

Associate Director for Policy

Duke Global Health Institute

Kevin Donegan · October 28, 2015 at 12:47 pm

Great initiative and very happy to take this pledge.

Kevin Donegan

Senior Campaign Development Manager

Greenpeace International

Thomas Bolsin · October 28, 2015 at 3:13 pm

It’s a shame this pledge needs to be made in the first place, but I’m definitely in.

Tom Bolsin

Bond

Tim Shorten · October 28, 2015 at 3:28 pm

I’m pleased to make this pledge. Thanks Owen.

Tim Shorten

Luke Canavan · October 28, 2015 at 3:39 pm

Yes I agree with Thomas, it’s a shame the pledge needs to be made in the first place

Peter Vanderwal · November 6, 2015 at 4:52 pm

thanks Owen – i’m definitely in, but would also like to encourage broader diversity in all panels, discussions, workshops – everything. pale male panels need to make way for the inclusion of all voices, but particularly those who can best represent the topic at hand; and in our work, that means more voices from the global south, male and female.

Owen Barder · November 7, 2015 at 9:26 am

Peter

Thanks. I agree with all of this apart from one small word: “but”. You mean “and”, right? I can’t see any implied contradiction between what you say here and the pledge above.

Owen

Louise Brennan · November 11, 2016 at 8:02 pm

This is great. Perhaps we should also pledge not to attend any sessions that just have men on the panel!

Elmar Veerman · November 24, 2016 at 3:55 pm

To all women who signed this pledge: congratulations! You are almost certain to keep your promise. Men: stay true!

Leida Rijnhout · March 9, 2017 at 11:47 am

I think we should add that the moderator, when opening the floor for questions, gives the opportunity to woman, man, woman, man, as too often men are asking the floor first. And also too often they don’t have a question, but they just give their own speech..

Paul Giladi · March 9, 2017 at 2:31 pm

I’m in!

Joel's Bruckshae · April 5, 2017 at 9:53 am

A no brainer really!

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AS · February 27, 2023 at 5:02 pm

It’s admirable and it’s the first time I’ve heard of this initiative. However, we as much and more so need to promote more women into senior positions, so there would be more to invite to the panels. I am relatively junior and only get invited to my university (more precisely department) level panels, but I’m not sure if this is more a privilege or a burden. Because there are fewer women in our department than men, women are more likely to be part of recruitment panels, strategy groups, etc, as our EDI requires this. It is somewhat useful experience, and it is important to have representation from different groups, but this means that woman have less time to do research and other work that counts for promotions.

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[…] DC. Y Owen Barder en London School of Economics ha estado reclutando hombres para firmar un compromiso: “En una conferencia pública no voy a formar parte de un grupo de dos o más personas a […]

1950'erne har ringet til Altinget - de vil gerne have deres panel tilbage - POV · October 13, 2016 at 6:36 am

[…] – besluttede sig til gengæld for at tilslutte sig den kendte digitale bevægelse, “The Pledge” hvor man kan skrive under på, at man ikke vil deltage i der, der i årevis i den engelsksprogede […]

#allmalepanel og Altingets ni-mands debat om Facebook - Karen Melchior · October 13, 2016 at 6:36 pm

[…] vil love ikke at deltage i paneler, hvor der kun deltager mænd, så kan du skrive under her hos The Pledge eller her hos Say No To […]

Gender Balance in Lecture Series: We are nowhere. Bartlett, Berlage, Mendrisio, ETHZ #fail, MIT, Tübingen #parity | die architektin · November 1, 2016 at 2:34 pm

[…] We would also encourage you to forward this survey to the incriminated institution, pushing, asking, demanding CHANGE. Die Architektin always mails the institutions, trying to make them aware of the problem. Usually there are no answers. Sometimes Berlage says they tried. We would like to see pledges from our colleagues, in line with Owen’s Pledge. […]

#PanelesSoloDeHombres en el mundo del Derecho | Enfoque Derecho | El Portal de Actualidad Jurídica de THEMIS · November 19, 2016 at 4:07 pm

[…] Algunos de ellos son los siguientes: https://owen.org/pledge , https://orbala.wordpress.com/the-pledge-to-eliminate-all-male-panels-and-anthologies/ , […]

Event Diversity: 6 Ways to Make Your Events More Inclusive | Cameron Jones Updates · December 13, 2016 at 11:20 pm

[…] of pieces have been recently published asking male speakers to boycott speaking on all-male panels. Owen Barder, Director of the Center for Global Development Europe, has even created a public online form for […]

Gibt es weibliche Ökonomie? – Beyond Milchmädchen · February 1, 2017 at 2:04 pm

[…] von namhaften Ökonomen kritisiert (bspw. hat der Entwicklungsökonom Owen Barder die Initiative #nomaleonlypanels ins Leben gerufen, die männliche Wissenschaftler dazu auffordert ein Versprechen abzulegen, nicht […]

Being bold for change - International Women's Day 2017 | Blog · March 7, 2017 at 9:56 am

[…] invited to speak on a panel? If there are no women on the panel, refuse to participate (better yet, take the pledge to not be part of male-only panels). Got sons? Educate boys about stereotypes and violence against […]

Tipping Points in Academe | Dr. Grace Kao · April 2, 2017 at 3:51 pm

[…] and development economist’s Owen Barder’s encouragement for experts to take “the Pledge” (“At a public conference, I won’t serve on a panel of two people or more unless there is at least… )– are clearly attempting to make manels a thing of the […]

#SexismAV – AVNation · April 3, 2017 at 4:37 pm

[…] The need is not just in Audio Visual markets, none other than Owen Barder has asked us to make a pledge to refuse to participate in panels that do not include a woman. The pledge reads: […]

Where’s the (woman) expert? Practical suggestion for better media and better events | Live from Planet Paola · April 8, 2017 at 7:31 am

[…] ask them to take the Panel Pledge. Development economist Owen Barder has a one-line version: “I will not be part of male-only panels.” The Australian group Male Champions of Change has a longer version, here for your […]

How to Improve Gender Diversity at Events – SAIS Global Women in Leadership · April 13, 2017 at 7:23 pm

[…] GWL has launched a helpful How-to-Guide for event planners and event participants to remove some of the barriers to bringing more women into the […]

Nieuwsflash: mannen, zeg nee tegen tv-panels – Vileine.com · April 15, 2017 at 4:50 am

[…] initiatief is geïnspireerd door buitenlands voorbeeld: op website The Pledge voert Owen Barder al langer een strijd tegen mannelijke panels. Ook op social media is het in de […]

How Women Should Respond to All-Male Panels - IWEC Foundation · May 3, 2017 at 5:34 pm

[…] idea is slowly taking off: A pledge posted online by a development economist in London now has over 1,100 signatures from male […]

Hasta La Ideas » Blog Archive Directory of female creatives aims to tackle the "stone-aged" under-representation of women in design - Hasta La Ideas · May 10, 2017 at 1:20 pm

[…] Reparative List follows in the footsteps of initiatives such as The Pledge, an action created in January 2015 by London-based development economist Owen Barber, which […]

#BeTheChange – On actually doing something about conference diversity « The Diversity Blog – SaaS, Cloud & Business Strategy · June 20, 2017 at 4:32 pm

[…] obvious opportunity to make a change. So when my friend Lani pointed me in the direction of an initiative aimed at increasing conference diversity, I was keen. The pledge is very simple and is detailed […]

Notes from a pinkwasher, the female moderator among men · July 1, 2017 at 3:40 am

[…] has set up a blog inviting people to sign a pledge that reads: “At a public conference I won’t serve on a panel of two people or more […]

How to hire more women into technology roles | Career | US-China News · July 12, 2017 at 8:13 pm

[…] And don’t forget to seek out your candidates by attending conferences and events. Sign up to the pledge and only appear on panels that have women on them. Seek out women to speak at your conferences and […]

Should APSA and ISA have a “No Manels” Rule? | Duck of Minerva · August 27, 2017 at 12:13 am

[…] what should you as a male scholar do? A number of male academics and other professionals have pledged not to serve on manels. So, when you get the invitation to participate, presumably you can review […]

Yes, economics has a problem with women | Real-World Economics Review Blog · October 8, 2017 at 5:09 pm

[…] comments, discriminatory decisions, biased research, and, of course, a high preponderance of all-male panels at conferences and high-level policy events would be reported by many economists I know—both men […]

Yes, Economics Has a Problem with Women - Evonomics · October 8, 2017 at 6:24 pm

Should we boycott gated journals? | From Poverty to Power · October 25, 2017 at 6:30 am

[…] in the blog, but should I go further and set up a sign-up pledge for other social media users, as Owen Barder has done so laudably on manels (1296 currently signed […]

Bella Caledonia Scotland's 5th Estate · January 23, 2018 at 12:41 pm

[…] easy start would be for more blokes to take the Pledge; for conference organisers and media producers to ensure 50:50 in all conversations (or at least […]

The vicious circle of gender inequality in Economics – Development Roast · February 26, 2018 at 7:01 am

[…] example of a well-intentioned effort to promote more gender balance in economics/development is Owen Barder’s Pledge “I will not be part of male-only panels.” More than a thousand men have signed The Pledge, and, […]

E&M Meet the EU Panel Watch: Advocating for Diverse and Inclusive Debates in EU and Beyond – Europe and Me · April 8, 2018 at 6:36 am

[…] and media. For panelists (or future panelists), I also recommend signing a pledge (www.owen.org/pledge) to never be a part of a male-only debate. On the other hand, conference organizers can turn to […]

Sisterhood Rising: A conversation we’re not having about the energy access sector - Pollinate Energy · April 27, 2018 at 3:23 am

[…] So what can we do as a sector? Help facilitate these kinds of collaborations and conversations. Put women leaders in the spotlight and provide the right platforms for them to engage. Acknowledge what we’re not doing well within our own organisations and as a collective. Commit to implementing concrete actions to empower women in the sector. Stop letting fear of competition prevent meaningful collaboration. Take the Owen pledge. […]

Op-Ed Columnist: I’m Not Quoting Enough Women – Planet News · May 14, 2018 at 10:11 am

[…] hundreds of men in various fields have signed an online petition vowing not to appear on all-male panels. The website Gender Avenger keeps statistics on panels and […]

The Sisterhood Rising: A conversation we’re not having about the energy access sector - Impakter · May 31, 2018 at 1:01 pm

Extra! Extra! More Women Profs Will Be Quoted by Media! | Bostonia | BU Alumni Magazine · July 20, 2018 at 8:16 pm

[…] organizers” as well. Hundreds of male scholars and experts in various fields have signed an online petition foreswearing appearances on panels that don’t include […]

‘Too many men’: Financial Times develops fembot to warn journalists of sexism – StarFeed · November 16, 2018 at 8:38 am

[…] have compiled lists of female experts for journalists to contact, and hundreds of men have signed a petition vowing not to appear on all-male panels at […]

Pass the mic – Costa Rica to Antarctica! · February 8, 2019 at 5:50 pm

[…] to men such as Owen Barder, Director for Europe at the Center for Global Development; or Hans Schulz, from the […]

Pasá el micrófono – Costa Rica to Antarctica! · February 8, 2019 at 6:39 pm

[…] a hombres como Owen Barder, Director en Europa del Centro para Desarrollo Global; o Hans Schulz, del Banco Interamericano de […]

The importance of parity pledges – Allia Org · February 13, 2019 at 9:51 am

[…] pledges, with plenty of options for individuals wishing to make similar, more public pledges (Owen, The Atlantic, and IWD are just some of the places where people can sign public forms to commit to […]

The importance of parity pledges | Allia Org · February 22, 2019 at 3:24 pm

Women, Gender And Think Tanks: Political Influence Network In Twitter 2018 – Analysis – Daily Health And Wealth Advisors · April 7, 2019 at 2:46 am

[…] Barder, Director for Europe of the Center for Global Development, set up initiatives such as ‘The pledge’, inviting the expert community not to take part in events without women; many others […]

Why Your Diversity Initiatives Are Doomed | When Opportunity Knocks · May 23, 2019 at 8:01 am

[…] society has brought about energetic collaboration and discussion. Popular DEI practices include a “no manels” pledge through which men honor a vow against participating in “all-male” conference panels, […]

There's More Aid Than Ever, So Why Are Poorest Nations Getting Less? - Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly · May 24, 2019 at 6:38 pm

[…] panels that include only men and encourages others to join him. To that end, Barder has written a pledge on his website that says, “At a public conference I won’t serve on a panel of two people or […]

Urban Planning Has a Sexism Problem | Los Angeles Flow Project L.A. · September 29, 2019 at 9:47 pm

[…] very familiar with the all-male panel (check out #manel for some catharsis or better yet — sign on to commit to not participate in all-male panels here). You may also have noticed an overwhelming tendency toward male keynoters. When I tried to put […]

7 steps to improving Conference Presentations - From Poverty to Power · October 14, 2019 at 6:30 am

[…] days of plenary-panel-plenary-panel. Some things have got better – the organizers largely avoided manels, for example. But overall, the format was very traditional, and to my mind a bit […]

Plenary + Panel Conferences Don’t Have to Be (So) Painful – Social Science Space · October 17, 2019 at 3:46 pm

[…] of plenary-panel-plenary-panel. Some things have got better – the organizers largely avoided manels, for example. But overall, the format was very traditional, and to my mind, sterile.That’s partly […]

A Blueprint for Black Lives Matter in the Development Sector · June 29, 2020 at 1:02 pm

[…] dialogues or consultations that do not have a target percentage POC representation on them (ref: Owen Barder’s pledge to no #manels – and #nomorewanels pledge ‘white-only […]

Girls, women, and intellectual empowerment | OUPblog · November 2, 2020 at 10:32 am

[…] conferences that feature only men when speaking about intellectual matters. Academics have begun pledging to not present their work at a conference if the only participants sharing ideas are […]

Where are women’s voices on the Middle East in Australia? | BroadAgenda · March 29, 2021 at 1:08 am

[…] then, significant efforts have been made to redress the situation. Thousands signed a ‘pledge’ to refuse to speak on all-male panels—derisively known as ‘manels’—while outlets such as […]

A wonderful time to be a woman who speaks | Speaking While Female · July 2, 2021 at 7:51 pm

[…] London and the Director for Europe at the Centre for Global Development, encourages male experts to take a “panel pledge” not to appear on all-male […]