Careless exclusion

In the past 48 hours I have seen two examples of people in different fields reaching out for gender inclusion. In my opinion, both fall short.  That said, maybe it is not really my opinion which counts. Both have been drawn to my attention by women who have found them inept, insulting, or both. Their clumsy attempt to include may have done just the opposite.

The first is an advert produced by the European Commission to encourage young women to pursue careers in science. After their 9000 Euro research project, the result is a daft pastiche of ‘girly’ images which seem to belong more to a tacky cosmetics commercial than a serious educational project. The people who produced it have also assembled a number of more serious videos of women who are involved in science, but it is unlikely to receive the publicity of its more garish cousin – which is a shame.

Meanwhile, a church in London is hosting a  day conference on women’s evangelism – which is surely a worthwhile thing. Not sure if they re-read the copy on their advert though: