Changes to gender diversity will come through Generation Y

Friday, 7 March 2014 was one of the greatest days of my professional career.  Why?  Because I had the honour of being one of the 6 debaters at the Australian Institute of Management's International Women's Day Debate. 

The event has been around for years and the names of the debaters are under embargo until all of the delegates arrive for the event.  The only people who knew I was doing it were BB and my employer.  It certainly added to the thrill knowing that many of my colleagues would be attending, but also started to get my nerves racking!

I have written a blog about the day and what our arguments focused on.  I was third speaker, negative team.  To say there was pressure (brought on by my own sense of competitiveness) to bring it home, make it witty yet insight and leave a last message, was an understatement.

The words I wanted to resonate with the 1500 plus people in the room was this - change will come through Generation Y (or millennial for you Americans reading).  The men of my generation are not familiar with unconscious bias.  It is "normal" for us to have female breadwinners and mums who went to work and didn't stay at home.  Sheryl Sandberg is case in point.  Her boss (Mark Zuckerberg in case you had a brain freeze), is Generation Y.  His mum worked, he gets that women can be a kick ass mother, top employee and still meet all wifey duties. 

My part of the debate is now online.  Yes, it goes for 10 minutes, but the ending is worth it - without it I would not have had my caricature in City Beat!