The birth of the Gender Gadfly

I had just gotten on the train last week, coming back from a day in Milan to my home in suburban Busto Arsizio, when I heard someone call me.  It was M, a woman who works in the fashion/technology space.  Like me she is a dual passport holder but unlike me she has spent most of her life in Europe.   “You weren’t at the e-commerce conference two days ago,” she said after we had greeted each other and exchanged pleasantries.

“I know, I couldn’t go.  Too many things happening this month.  I just can’t go to everything.  You know how it is when you live out of town,” I mumbled half-apologetically.  Like me, M lives in a bedroom community north of Milan.

“Yes, but Claudia, you should have gone to THIS conference.  Right in the middle of it, in front of a thousand people in this huge auditorium, Professor Umberto B, the president of the School of Management of the Politecnico di Milano, gets up and says ‘Is the Dottoressa Flisi in the audience?  Will the Dottoressa Flisi please identify herself?   She asked me a question by email and I would like to reply to her in front of all of you.’   I was so excited because I know you that I almost jumped up and said, ‘I am a friend of hers.  Can I take a message?’  But I thought that might not be cool in front of a thousand people.  So I didn’t say anything.”

“And what did the professor say?”   I had an inkling of what might be coming but didn’t want to anticipate M’s remarks. 

“He said that you had written him asking why there weren’t any women speakers at the conference.  He said he wanted to explain why not in public.  He sort of apologized, but he is a classic Italian professore so it wasn’t quite an apology. What did you say to him?”’

I smiled.  How to explain my ongoing personal campaign?  “Yes, for about a year now, I count up how many speakers there are in the conference invitations I receive.  If there are more than three speakers and all of them are men, I try to look up their emails and I write to them asking why there are no women.   This conference had 17 speakers and not ONE woman.  It was ridiculous.”

M nodded.  “Good for you.  Did you know about the ‘Women & Technologies’ conference last Monday?  There were lots of highly-qualified women speakers at that event.”

I bobbed my head in assent.  “I had received an invitation to that one but couldn’t attend.  I did send a copy of the program to Professor B, to make the point that you CAN find high-level women speakers in technology – even in Italy!  -- if you take the time to look.”

M tilted her head approvingly.  “You certainly made an impression on him.  Raising awareness; I guess we all have to do more of that.  Congratulations.  It’s too bad you couldn’t have been there in person.  When he called out your name, I was so proud I knew you.   I tried sending you an SMS but don’t know if you saw it.“

I was grinning from ear to ear by now.  “You know, I did receive an SMS  fragment yesterday but I didn’t understand what it was about.  I also received an email from Professor B last night.  He asked why I had not attended the conference and he gave me a couple of examples of women he has invited as speakers . . . who, naturally, have never been available to attend.”

To top off this episode with absolutely impeccable Italian illogic: yesterday I received another conference invitation from Milan’s Politecnico, also organized by Professor B, also consisting of 17 speakers . . . and again, not ONE is a woman. 

Welcome to Italy, ladies.  The work of the Gender Gadfly is just beginning.    

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Based in Italy, Claudia Flisi writes about business and culture for the International Herald Tribune and many other publications, and for corporate clients ranging from Apple (computers) to Zegna (clothing). She can be reached through her website at www.flisi.net.    Her thoughts about European women and beauty are found here:  http://frenchfacelift.blogspot.com/  and about horse riding here: www.worldreviewer.com/member/claudia-flisi/