We at thenextwomen have done such a network event at thenextweb conference and at Picnic., we did a breakfast and brainstorm event. A gathering of women at male dominated events. These were huge successes and most women liked it to be together for 1/2 day of the conference. We have set up thenextwomen, the online magazine for female internet heroes to profile women led, founded and invested companies. The female techcrunch and FT!!

Good luck, on October 24 I will hold a panel at HP in Amsterdam with the same issue: women in a man’s world it can work!!

Like to tak to you.

The result is that they seem less “present” in many situations, and as even the most insightful managers’ time is limited they will tend to hand off to those who “seize the day”. (By the way, this issue applies as well to less assertive but very capable men)

Why this is I don’t fully know. I can hazard some guesses, but in my view this is one of the main things that prevents women (in general) from reaching their full potential in current organisation structures.

One could argue with some justification that the current structures are wrong for women, but that is a different discussion.

One thing struck me at a recent MobileMonday in London. There were a high proportion of women. Maybe not 50:50, but more than I’m accustomed to seeing. Indeed, the chair was a woman.

However, all the questions were asked by men. I don’t recall seeing a single woman put up her hand.

What bothers me is that, in the drinks session afterwards, all the women I spoke to had interesting and insightful questions about the event.

Does it take just one woman to ask a question at these events to get the ball rolling? Do women feel less inclined then men to start a rambling question?

It does bother me that more women don’t put themselves forward in situations like that but - and I’m Devil’s Advocating here - is it because they work better in the background?

I don’t think that’s the case - but I think they think it is…

“Most of my life has been characterised by the feeling that I am just one step away from being found out as a fraud.” Don’t Panic! That’s exactly the way I feel. I think a lot of people do…

Terence - I reads Dworkin sometimes - Eden

Why female business owners are less successful but just as satisfied

“The proportion of businesses owned by women is on the increase in many countries. These female-run firms tend to be less successful in financial terms than businesses run by men, and yet limited evidence suggests female business owners are just as satisfied with their careers as their male counterparts - a phenomenon dubbed: “the paradox of the contented female business owner”.”

Maybe we are looking at the wrong thing? Maybe this is about happiness and satisfaction than like-for-like equivalency? Or maybe that’s a cop-out…

So I wonder if there is a similar self-selection effect at work in more strictly technological pursuits. Maybe worth teasing out?

I also stumbled upon the recent Harvard Business Review article on MMORPGs called “Leadership’s Online Labs”. If MMORPGs make such good training grounds for future leaders, and MMORPG players spend an average of 22 hours a week in their game, and 85% of them are male, are young women cutting themselves out of a leadership opportunity?

As a woman myself, I realised I was doing the same out of sheer habit - something in the programming of our upbringing make all of us look to the man for authority, confirmation and affirmation. I now actively and consciously correct it and make sure I address both men and women equally, but it’s fascinating how deep the stereotypes go and how equally they affect all of us, regardless of male and female.

I’ve been digging for the podcast of a panel run by Stephanie Sullivan called “What Women Need To Succeed” which I think would be of interest and relevance. Here’s a link to the session description: http://2008.sxsw.com/interactive/programming/panels_schedule/?action=show&id=IAP060527 . No podcast though …

We can do well at school, get a good degree at uni, work incredibly hard at our jobs, but if the men - and sometimes women- ‘in charge’ don’t think women are up to the job then we’re in for a tough time. My hope is that the more well-rounded women in roles of authority there are, the more both men and women accept them there…

Which reminds me of the female boss I had once who wouldn’t renew my contract because she didn’t think women with kids should work…

Yea. Girl power…