give a voice to half of humanity

​​“There are more people named Paul than there are women on this panel.” A comment made by a colleague at main on one of our Sack channels last February.

Since then, there have been more and more examples of events, panels, and high-profile announcements where women are clearly underrepresented, completely absent, or added at the last minute as a “photo op.” “And when you see it, you can’t unsee it.” And it’s really getting under my skin.

However, the need to have more women in leadership roles is by no means a new idea main; I’ve often seen our CEO, Louis-Félix, decline an invitation to speak at an event so as not to be “yet another man on stage.”

The observation is absurd: there is still an appalling lack of women speaking out in the public sphere.

We’re not talking here about promoting women who work at your company. As a friend of mine says, “We make up 50% of the population; the simple fact that we occupy half the space in the workplace is the bare minimum.”

We’re talking here about listening to women’s voices, about bringing women to the forefront—those who, naturally, won’t step forward on their own. Here’s an interesting fact: when putting together the program for last year’s Accelerator Summit, I called on everyone to contact me with proposals for presentations. Among the brilliant people who volunteered on their own, 0% were women.

When I’m scrolling through social media, I often see promotions for events featuring lots of women as headliners, and I find myself thinking, “Wow, it’s refreshing to see so many women on a panel.” Only to eventually realize that the content is actually about “women in tech” or “women in science.”

Go ahead and organize panels on women in tech and “women-only” events—we need solutions designed by and for half the population. But please, give the same priority to representation across all your events, not just in a niche segment outside prime time.

Putting women in the spotlight—on panels, in programming, and at the helm of companies—isn’t just about fairness. As Caroline Criado Perez writes in *Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men*, “When we exclude half of humanity from the production of knowledge, we lose potentially transformative ideas.”

She cites the example of Google’s headquarters in California, which had never thought to provide parking spaces for pregnant women until one of its female executives became pregnant and realized that it’s much harder to walk long distances when you’re eight months pregnant. It cost Google nothing to add dedicated parking spaces for pregnant women. It just took someone with a uterus in a leadership position to think of it.

Fortunately, we are surrounded by organizations—backed by exemplary individuals—that are committed to ensuring representation. To name just a few:

• The Startupfest team, with whom we are working to launch Acceleratorfest, is a steadfast champion of diversity.
• The " Women Experts " initiative, as its name suggests, makes it possible to propose and seek out women experts to engage in various fields.
• A few years ago, the Women in Tech Manifesto already put forward a superb proposal for “gender parity at tech events, to combat the underrepresentation of women in the industry.”
• The Quebec Businesswomen's Network supports and empowers Quebec women;
• The Government of Canada offers a guide to planning inclusive events;
• And, of course, Urelles, an organization founded by Chloé Freslon, supports companies in the areas of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).

We still have a long way to go as an organization, and we remain open to suggestions.

in its day-to-day operations, main applies the principles of gender parity in appointments to its senior management and board of directors. In addition to having more female members, the board of directors of main is composed of competent individuals who are committed to the support ecosystem, come from diverse backgrounds, and many of whom identify as people of color.

main has also incorporated into its internal processes a salary review conducted by an external firm to ensure gender equity and prevent any form of discrimination in the hiring process.

It's not easy to air your dirty laundry in public.

If I have the motivation and the platform to write these lines, it’s also largely because I’m surrounded by exceptional men who are just as—if not more—sensitive than I am to the issue of women’s representation. Among them are, in particular, my “boss,” Louis-Félix, my colleague, Guillaume, and my partner, Adrien.

I also understand what this means for my role in creating opportunities for the Quebec startup ecosystem to come together. I’m personally guilty of having organized events that frankly lacked diversity. I know what it’s like to want to finalize the program so we can share it as soon as possible with those who will make the trip, who will invest their money or time, and who will choose to come hear what our event has to offer, rather than do something else important. We want to deliver, and we want to check items off our to-do list.

It’s possible that I’ll find myself with just one minute to go before an event, and that last-minute cancellations will leave me facing the possibility of an event without gender diversity. I’ll have to cut corners. But that’s exactly when I’ll need to redouble my efforts, be creative, and not fall for the trap.

I pledge to do everything in my power to ensure that we do not, as Caroline Criado Perez puts it, deprive ourselves of the knowledge produced by half of humanity.

— Joyce McLean, Manager — Summit and Community Relations @ main