Education

Unpaid Speaking Engagements Can Create Social And Gender Inequity


I recently accepted a speaking engagement for free but then realized that the event was ticketed. It has made me think more about my role in creating social inequality when I accept an unpaid speaking gig.

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So I gathered all my courage and sent them an email. I also posted about it online on Twitter, and had some really interesting responses, with people sharing their own experiences with me that resonated widely. Interestingly, and possibly not that surprising, it is often the women who are expected to speak for free.

This is disappointing for a number of reasons.

  1. When we talk about empowering women and making such events and speaker panels are inclusive, it matters whether the speakers are being paid or not. Research has shown that this increases the gender pay gap and decreases the opportunities available to women. It is often the women who carry the mental and physical load of family and caring responsibilities. It is the women who are less likely to be able to afford to accept an unpaid speaking engagement. Men are more likely to negotiate speaking fees and so there is little transparency about who is getting paid what.
  2. It is often the perception that if one cares about social causes, then they should be able to offer their time for free. This isn’t good practice in the industry. I understand that some events are non-profit, and yes, of course, such initiatives should be completely supported. And, so, yes the context definitely matters. But, I have spoken to several activists who tell me that just because they are campaigning for social or environmental causes, they are expected to give their time for free, even when it is not for a non-profit organization.
  3. Considering the total time it takes, few make a profit from giving a talk at least if they are independent consultants or freelancers. For those who are not employed by a University or organization this time isn’t being compensated by a salary. There’s a great deal of us out there. Being invited to speak at a conference is without a doubt a privilege and an honor. But, as a conference organizer, it’s also a privilege to get great speakers to speak.
  4. There are other advantages to paying speakers, even if it is a nominal fee. Paying the speaker changes the transaction to a business one, rather than a voluntary one. It is also about assigning value to a speaker. If you are paying suppliers and charging for attendance, it is only fair to pay your speakers too. It also raises a very important point about labor and the value that is attached to it. 
  5. There might be many who would have to turn such opportunities down because they cannot afford to take time away from their day job and risk losing a day’s pay to speak for free. In this way, it is always the same people who get invited to speak, who are visible, who get promoted, and then they can demand higher speaker fees because of their apparent prestige. This is a vicious cycle.
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 I give a lot of my time for free, voluntarily without any thought of commercial gain, but have been thinking a lot about the culture that we are perpetuating by doing so.  As someone who promotes & campaigns for equality, I feel that I am being instrumental in creating a further social divide by accepting a speaking engagement that does not pay. This is an industry-wide issue and we can all do more to address it. Perhaps we could all do more to set some industry standards and make this more transparent and equitable.



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