Women play a prominent role in the coworking industry.  However, they are still faced with barriers that keep them from contributing as much as possible.  Laura Shook , CEO of Soma Vida Wellness Coworking, Women Who Cowork, and Iris Kavanagh, Co-founder of Women Who Cowork, talk about the importance of inclusion.

About Women Who Cowork

Women Who Cowork is about creating a culture of inclusion.  They include the five core coworking values: openness, collaboration, sustainability, community, accessibility.  Inclusivity is implicit in coworking. However, we need to work to make it explicit. We want to bring down any barriers and increase access for both women and minorities in the industry.

Gender equality is very important to the coworking industry.  There are a lot of women in the industry currently so we need thoughtful and intentional in how many women are able to step into leadership roles.  Consequently, we would be putting more women in positions of power to talk about the issue of gender equality.

Funding and Ripple Effects

Unfortunately, women are not receiving funding.  Women of color are having an even harder time. The average deal size for a women-led company is just over five million.  For a man-led company the average deal size is just under 12 million. Therefore, even those who are receiving funding are not getting as much as their male counterpart.  Fortunately, women who do have capital tend to fund other women.

There is even a female funding ripple effect to take into consideration.  According to UNICEF, when you fund a woman, they invest 80-90% of their income back into their families and communities.  Whereas men invest in only 30-40% in the same departments. Investing in woman means we are investing in the community of those female-owned businesses.  This creates a ripple effect of support for female entrepreneurs.

Women’s Impact

Women make up about 50% of the world’s population.  Not taking advantage of their potential and hearing their voices undermines a country’s ability to prosper in half.  Leaving out this level of resources, intelligence, and creativity is a scary thing.

It is important to include men in the movement.  Since it is a collective issue and thus requires a collelctive solution.  Founders especially have great influence in who they hire and associate with.  They can extend help to newer spaces that are coming up.