At Montreal’s first WordCamp, only four women spoke throughout the two-day, two-track event. People noticed. It didn’t feel right. Something had to change. By 2016, we’d had two straight WordCamps with at least 50% women speakers. How did we get from there to here? I’ll look at some of the strategies we used to #changetheratio.

1. FROM SHADOWS
To Limelight
Kathryn Presner
Theme Whisperer • Automa ic • @zoonini
HOW WOMEN FOUND THEIR VOICE
AT WORDCAMP MONTREAL

2. 2009
It begins

3. The
First
Four

5. Rachel McCollin
If a WordCamp has a healthy
proportion of women speaking at
it, then that will tell the women
a ending that this is a community
they can feel part of, and that they
too can aspire to speak at
WordCamps and WordPress
meetups and pass on their
knowledge.
h ps://code.tutsplus.com/articles/how-welcoming-are-wordcamps-to-
women--cms-26050
“

6. 2010
The Shannon factor

7. Brendan Jeremy
Shannon

9. future WordCamper

11. 2011
Where are the women?

15. 2012
Front and centre

18. It also is about inspiring. When you
look at a career path and see only
people that look different than
you, it becomes a lot easier to drop
out and say it’s not for you. [W]hen
you look at the breakdown of
speakers and don’t see anyone like
yourself, you question if you even
want to buy a ticket to a end.
Aaron Jorbin
h ps://make.wordpress.org/community/2014/01/07/women-
speakers-at-wordcamps/
“

19. 2013
Nudging

20. Alex

21. Alex
Kirk
Carl
Jeremy
Shannon Richard

26. 2014
Fla er nagging

28. h p://blogsitestudio.com/what-wordpress-women-want/

30. h ps://getspeak.in

32. h ps://kpresner.com/2014/06/09/the-gentle-art-of-the-fla er-nag/

33. 2015
Turning point

34. Veronica
W C M
T
L

39. 51%

40. [T]ransparency helps let people know
that you have [diversity] on your own
radar. Publishing your participation
stats is really useful. We let people
know how many women speakers we
have, how many apply, how many
a end, and we talk about how we
want more. It does help. And we talk
about wanting to be diverse in other
ways too, and that also encourages
people to participate.
Shannon Smith
“
h ps://make.wordpress.org/community/2014/01/07/women-
speakers-at-wordcamps/

41. 2016
Passing it on

42. Andrea

49. It's Kathryn from Montreal! Last
year the Toronto Fringe conflicted
with our WordCamp, but this year
we're having it a bit later.
I still fondly recall your cat-filled
theming talk from WC Toronto
2014 and think it would be
awesome if you came to Montreal!
Would you be interested in
submi ing a talk?
“

52. h ps://make.wordpress.org/training/handbook/speaker-training/

53. Graph courtesy
of Shannon Smith

55. Thanks
!
Slides: slideshare.net/zoonini
Twi er: @zoonini
Visit: kpresner.com

56. Photos!
Very special thanks to Elida Arrizza,
Jeremy Clarke, Kirk Wight, and Eva
Blue for photos. Additional early
photos by Montreal Tech Watch &
Philippe Martin.
h ps://www.flickr.com/groups/wpmtl/
h ps://www.facebook.com/groups/wpmtl/