We were so frustrated by gender equality events we decided to hold our own

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Jennifer de Vere-Hopkins and Emily Lawrence of Jestico & Whiles explain why they put design at the heart of the equality debate

Change is slow, especially when it comes to equal representation in construction. #Metoo was a loud reminder for each of us to reflect: how do we treat the women around us, and are we doing enough to effect change?

If we all agree that equal representation is good for business, why is the pace of change so slow? There’s the school of thought that asks us to fight hard for it, to make your voice heard, be a warrior. There’s also much discussion on the barriers to change: childcare, macho working cultures and so on.

But we were frustrated that so many female-focused events take on the same flavour – bland, repetitive and static, lacking any real solutions to take us closer to the goal of equal representation. Some events even take us backwards by failing to have any female representation.

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