Flexibility a key barrier for women in events, says Sledge MD

While Sledge MD, Sarah Yeats recognises that overall we’re one of the few industries where there is more of a gender balance, she believes this is less by design and more by default, and there is much more to be done in this space.

In the lead up to International Women's Day 2025 Sarah shared some of her views on the importance of championing flexibility and shifting away from a "this is how it's always been done" mentality with Conference News in order to accelerate action – this year's IWD theme.

Sarah noted: "The work of an event professional is not your typical 9-5 and can involve long hours, so it’s important we champion flexibility, practice sensitivity, and evolve roles in ways that complement lifestyle changes so women have the freedom to adapt and grow – whether that’s having team members lead local projects so they aren’t away from their families for extended periods, allowing them to adjust their working hours so they can do school pick-ups and drop offs, or supporting them as they navigate life stages such as perimenopause and menopause."

You can view the entire piece over on the Conference News website here.

Further women in business insights from Sarah

• We need to move away from cookie cutter support systems and educational frameworks for women navigating senior positions, and towards those that take their unique situations into account, and reflect the work they deliver.
  
  
• Promoting the work we do as an industry, in terms of highlighting there are an array of varied career opportunities available to women, as well as providing more routes for them to both enter the industry, and progress within it ongoing are key for enabling us to attract and retain top talent.
  
  
• Accelerating action isn’t about gender, it’s about collaboration and advocating for great people and great work, and formalising flexibility, support and education throughout every step of the journey, for all employees. To achieve this, we need to understand our “why” on an organisational level and consider what needs to be done to evolve peoples’ mindsets.
  
  
• Establishing and nurturing a strong support network is incredibly valuable for women looking to progress in the industry, as advocating for collaboration over competition and sharing learnings, challenges and ideas is key for enacting real change.