Since WITI began, we have had an ongoing debate about the role men should or should not play in WITI and other women's organizations. Here are samples (not exact quotes) of both sides of the argument I have heard over the years. What do you think?

Against men's involvement

"WITI is a safe haven for women who are trying to get away from male dominated environments - we need a place away from men where we can deal with issues ourselves".

"Whenever men participate in a meeting, they dominate the conversation and don't give us a chance to fully participate - this is exactly what we are trying to get away from."

"If we feature a male speaker, we are sending the message that we cannot find a woman of equal stature or knowledge to speak".

In favor of men's involvement

"If we truly believe in diversity, then we should welcome the - other - gender, since their perspectives will be equally valuable."

"Let's face it, men still hold the power - if we don't build relationships with the power base, women will never get an equal opportunity at the top".

"Since our work world requires us to deal effectively with both genders, involving men as speakers and participants helps us learn better ways to communicate with the other side."

What is my position?
The fact is that from the time I started WITI, I always believed including men was a positive component to achieving our objectives. I have always felt the ideal world will create teams of men and women leading positive change, leveraging our differences - where one and one can make three.

What I did not want to create was another women's organization that perpetuated the "male bashing" organizations of the 80's, where women were trying to create the "ole girls" network to keep men out. I want WITI to represent opportunity for women to advance - in every sense of the word - personally and professionally - to reject support from the other gender makes no sense at all. I certainly don't want WITI to represent the "men's only" club mentality we, as women, have fought against for so many years.

Perhaps one of the most powerful arguments in favor of involving men in WITI, is the opportunity to influence the thinking - and therefore policies, behaviors, choices - of the men who continue to outnumber women as power brokers. Whenever WITI has a booth at a trade show, a number of men stop by, enthusiastically expressing their support of WITI and women with whom they work. We are always delighted when men participate in WITI events, it just doesn't make sense to exclude our male supporters!

My experience is men do have different styles, language and approaches to many situations - we can learn a lot from observing their styles - as they can learn from us. There are large numbers of men who do have power and want to help capable women succeed - bridging the connections between these men and WITI women open more doors and opportunities for our members.

Of course, if it weren't for men - there would be no WITI. It was my son, David, who supported and helped me build WITI for the first 5 years as I struggled to get it off the ground. My son, Dan, left a lucrative job at C-Net to join WITI and build WITI's technology infrastructure. We had no funds to hire anyone - so two men - my sons - jumped in to work with me to make it happen.

Dave left WITI for awhile to start another company - he was pretty disgusted with some of the nasty comments we received from women who could not tolerate the idea of a man being involved with WITI. But, at my request, Dave came back into WITI because I knew his heart was in the right place - that he is truly dedicated to diversity and to WITI's mission and goals - after all, he and his brother Dan are the product of a single mother whom they watched struggle for many years to support our family and make things work.

Dave has worked countless hours to turn WITI around - and to help create more opportunities for our members. He has upgraded all of WITI, which is being reflected in upcoming changes, including new programs, a high value new web site, and a new team. Dave and Dan have both dedicated their energy and careers to making WITI work - in good times and bad. Over the years, we have found a growing number of supportive men who want to reach out to WITI - in fact, we have had many discussions about starting a MITI arm of WITI.

While I strongly support diversity and the inclusion of men in WITI, I am also very aware, from having grown up with 5 brothers and 5 sisters, that there are differences between men and women. I believe there needs to be space, times and programs where we can get together with all women. WITI is committed to making sure that there continues to be ample "women only" opportunities.

Let's keep our eye on what WITI is all about - creating opportunities for women to advance. WITI is a place where women come to do business, address serious issues, expand our thinking and leverage our connections.

What is your point of view? Please share your thoughts on the discussion board.

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