NOWIE survey to understand challenges for women in events

The Network of Women in Events (NOWIE) appeals to survey participants as they reveal research project.

The Network of Women in Events (NOWIE) has launched an annual research survey, which aims to better understand the challenges faced by women in the events industry.

Established in 2013, NOWIE has recently transitioned to a Community Interest Company, and is striving to create better opportunities for women in the events sector, at all stages of their careers, through networking, community initiatives, and creating better opportunities for women (by women).

This latest initiative will explore critical issues such as gender discrimination, sexual harassment and family planning, to drive meaningful change in the sector. The anonymous survey has been supported by the Events Industry Forum (EIF) and The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) and invites women in the industry to share their experiences, providing invaluable insights to help NOWIE advocate for a more inclusive, supportive, and equitable environment. The findings will shape future support and policies, ensuring women in events can thrive professionally.

For the past ten years, NOWIE has championed gender equality in the events industry. From creating their own guidelines outlining equitable pay expectations, sharing the stories and insights of women in events, and creating opportunities for women to develop networks, mentorship and community, they have laid a powerful foundation from which to enact significant change.

NOWIE Director, Cat Kevern said: “The problem is that we just aren’t seeing enough progress. For all the time, effort and dedication the NOWIE team invests, we have always been limited by a lack of resources. With our recent relaunch and transition to a Social Enterprise, we are excited to have the capacity to establish projects like the Big Survey, which will enable us to start driving real change.”

Kevern added: “Even as we were designing the survey, we were shocked to realise just how little research exists into the experiences of women in events., especially when we consider that women outnumber men in this industry! Unfortunately, what we do know is that, on a wider scale, women are still being paid less than men – a disparity which increases with age – are still underrepresented in senior leadership roles, still get fewer promotions, and still undertake a disproportionate percentage of care responsibilities (Office for National Statistics, 2022). The Big Survey will allow us to target our efforts at NOWIE towards the specific issues most affecting our community. It will also enable us to demonstrate the scale of these issues to others, helping us garner more support, funding and inspire policy change in these areas. We plan to distribute the survey annually, meaning we can monitor progress year on year.”

Silvana Kill, Director of Operations NTIA, said: “The NTIA are extremely proud to work in partnership with NOWIE to create this survey. We hope to gain some critical insight and understand how best we can support women in our industries. Never has there been a more important time than now to join forces and support diversity, inclusion and the wellbeing of women within the events industry workforce.”

Jim Winship of The Events Industry Forum stated: “We are pleased to have been able to help fund this survey as women have a very positive role to play in outdoor events and we welcome anything that will encourage them to join our industry and feel safe in doing so. The more we understand about the concerns and experiences of women working in events, the more we can do to make it easier for them.”

The survey is fully anonymised and asks participants to share their workplace experiences, covering topics ranging from experiences of workplace harassment to childcare and maternity, pay, career opportunities and more.

Women from all areas of the events sector are invited to complete the survey which is available for submissions now and can be accessed at www.nowie.org/big-survey

The team at NOWIE extend its thanks to everyone who has been involved in the delivery of this project, in particular the Events Industry Forum (EIF) and The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) for their generous sponsorship, and all those who take the time to contribute their answers and insights.