The Design Museum to host event celebrating women’s work in design

The Design Museum will be hosting a two-day ‘Women Design’ event to
celebrate women’s work in the UK design workforce and address gender
representation in the sector.

Taking place between 7-8 December, the event is intended to stimulate
debate about the lack of gender diversity in the sector, and will feature
talks from emerging designers taking part in the Designers in Residence
project – which for the first time this year has an exclusively female line
up.

Co-Director of the Design Museum Alice Black said in a statement: “The
fact that the percentage of women working in the design workforce has
remained virtually unchanged since 2004 shows a real failure to draw on all
the talents out there, and promote inclusiveness in our industry.”

Design Curator, Writer and Consultant Libby Sellers added: “While we
might think that women’s voices are echoing around the world right now
through the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements, in design publications,
conferences, judging panels and other public realms, women designers tend
to be outnumbered by their male counterparts.

“Whatever the rationale behind the gender bias, it has already
eliminated or repressed an overwhelming majority of talent in the industry.
To continue without championing a balance, would only encourage an
impoverished future for design as a result.”