The most visible part of the feminist movement, when I started WITI in 1989, was angry and adversarial. With few exceptions, like Gloria Steinem, who took an intelligent, reasoning approach to feminist issues, my experience then was of women being interviewed by the media who appeared angry and explosive when they discussed women's rights and gender equality.

It reminded me of a lesson I continuously tried to teach my children when they would get angry - you can have something very important to say - something that may be absolutely true - but if you deliver it in an angry, loud way, no one will hear your content, only your delivery. I was always concerned that the "delivery" the feminists were utilizing then was setting back the cause of women, not advancing it. Those experiences motivated me to create an association which was not about male bashing or victimization, but strategic and business centered.

Having come out of college as a teacher (where the majority of teachers were women) and having had a mother who was a fully expressed business woman, my consciousness about feminist issues did not start developing until I left teaching and started working with women working in male dominated environments. At first, I was quite resistant to their input and wondered, privately, if these women were just playing "victim". And, although, in some cases, that may have been true, as my circle widened and I started observing many of the issues they shared, I started to realize that there were serious challenges facing women in these companies - then and now.

When I first started visiting companies to talk about WITI, inevitably, the few men who were most likely forced to attend those meetings would sit with their arms crossed in front of their chests, expecting to be attacked by another "feminist". It was always comforting to see their body language change dramatically once they realized that WITI's approach was not about male bashing or "victimization", but strategic thinking and advancing women being good for business. Interestingly, in those early days, while men grew more comfortable with WITI, I was continuously attacked by some mainstream women in technology who felt I did not have the right to start WITI - because I was not a technologist, just a businesswoman- and not enough of a feminist. I never quite understood the concept of "feminists" attacking another woman for her desire to build something worthwhile.

Since WITI started, I have met thousands of women - some conscious, some unconscious - some angry, some centered, some victims, some victimizers - like all humans, we women cover a whole range of philosophies and personalities. What I love most about WITI is the women we worked hard to attract - women who uniquely combine intelligence, talent, with kindness and commitment to others - women committed to empowerment, building and inspiration - women who have no ax to grind, don't have time to play victim, but want to make a difference in the world. This is one incredible group of women - and definitely not what so many assume it to be.

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

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