"We Are Rotary: Advancing Women as Leaders". Webinar 6:00AM 29th August
Women account for less than 25 percent of Rotary’s global membership, and are underrepresented in leadership positions at every level. Rotarians are ready to embrace change, as indicated by the record number of breakout sessions at the 2019 Rotary International Convention in Hamburg dedicated to the topic of women’s advancement in Rotary’s leadership. During one of these sessions, Rotarians Beth Keck and Todd Jenkins collected ideas from more than 500 members, both female and male, about how to take action and break down the barriers to women’s advancement in leadership positions.
Over 600 people participated in the webinar conducted by Beth and Todd
The topics were
• Explore the barriers that women face when considering leadership positions
• Challenge the institutional and personal viewpoints that may be limiting women’s advancement
• Discuss the benefits—and necessity-- of Rotary being a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization
• Develop specific actions to take in your clubs and communities.
A few of the main points which stick in my mind are:
The comparative % of women Rotarians in different regions i.e., 32% USA; and 28% Australia were a few of the highest; with the lowest being 18% RIBI and 7% Japan
The voting on some Resolutions at the 2018 Council on Legislation, e.g., 18.R31 Increase opportunities for women, youth leaders and ethnic groups in Rotary. It was adopted but vote was Yes 304 /No 192
I really appreciated the section conducted by Todd who gave the best illustration I have heard. I would like to mention this at our meeting.
Also, I will be able to share the transcript in the next few days.
Marilyn Mercer