A Blueprint for Gender-Equitable Conferences

Sharon Cox, Mareike Schomerus, Susan Michie

SECTOR

Futures

PROJECT TYPE

Practical guide

DOI

https://doi.org/10.32388/0XNSLP

Location

Global

BEHAVIORAL THEME

Gender inclusion

OVERVIEW

A Blueprint for Gender-Equitable Conferences is a commentary published as a preprint on Qeios on 9 July 2026, co-authored by Sharon Cox, Mareike Schomerus, and Susan Michie. The publication offers practical guidance for conference organisers and session chairs to address gender inequality in scientific meetings, arguing that women’s underrepresentation is primarily a structural problem shaped by invitation practices, programme planning, event logistics, and the management of audience participation. Mareike Schomerus is affiliated with Busara Global, making this an external publication with a contribution from a Busara staff member.

Research Questions

The commentary is practical guidance rather than an empirical research study. Its central questions are:

How can conference organisers increase women’s representation among keynote speakers and panellists?
What structural and logistical barriers prevent women from accepting speaking invitations?
How can session chairs ensure women receive equitable opportunities to speak, answer questions, and contribute to discussions?
What practical changes can conference organisers make to move beyond tokenistic representation towards meaningful inclusion?

Methods

The publication is a commentary drawing on the authors’ professional experiences speaking at, chairing, and organising international conferences across behavioural and social science. It brings together practical recommendations and references to existing research on gender representation, speaking invitations, academic service responsibilities, audience participation, and gender bias in professional settings. The authors organise their recommendations around two groups: conference organisers responsible for speaker selection and programme planning, and session chairs responsible for facilitating equitable participation during events.

THEMATIC AREAS

Key Findings

Gender inequality at conferences is structural, not simply a confidence problem.
Speaker selection needs to begin early.
Organisers should anticipate declined invitations.
Women chairs are not substitutes for women speakers.
Event logistics can exclude potential speakers.
Session chairs influence whose voices are heard.
Visibility alone does not guarantee inclusion.

Implications for Policy or Development

For conference organisers: Establish clear expectations for gender representation, avoid all-male panels, invite women early, and build flexibility into speaker recruitment and programme planning.
For event planners: Consider session timings, travel requirements, notice periods, and hybrid participation options when designing conferences to reduce avoidable barriers to participation.
For session chairs: Prepare questions in advance, distribute speaking opportunities fairly, manage interruptions and monopolisation of discussions, and introduce all speakers with equal attention to their credentials.
For scientific institutions: Treat gender-equitable conference participation as an organisational responsibility rather than placing the burden on individual women to become more confident or assertive.
For conference evaluation: Assess not only who is present, but also who is invited to speak, whose contributions receive attention, and who benefits from the professional opportunities conferences provide.