Should there be exclusive spaces for women to work?
Prompted by a story online about The Wing, a coworking space exclusively for women.
Founded in 2016 as a private social club and co-working space for women, the company currently operates three locations, collects dues from more than 1,500 members and attracts the sort of media coverage that most publicists can only dream about. All of this has drawn more than $40 million in venture capital, including $32 million from the co-working giant WeWork.
The attention and capital that have coalesced around The Wing are tricky to separate from the company’s preoccupation with gender and the questions that inevitably raises.
If you have a minute, read the article, it gives a fairly balanced view of both sides, deciding the space is probably illegal, but may be good for members and the community as a whole.
I’m wondering what others think about this sort of setup, its merits, and if other groups should have exclusive spaces as well.
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8 Answers
You don’t get it both ways.
If women want to have exclusive places to work, fine. But then they should have no standing to sue for gender discrimination while the rest of the (co-ed) world moves on around them. They’ll be off in their own little cocoon while the men and women are being promoted and making money around them.
Go for it and feel fuzzy about being around women. but it’s not the real world.
Slippery slope, I don’t agree with it and would probably not be interested in joining myself. If it was offensive for a men only club, why wouldn’t an female only club be just as offensive?
I’m sure it would be nice at times, but in my experience, an all women space would NOT be safe for me. It’s been proven time and time again, we’re just too competitive and mean to eachother.
Now if it were the Mother Earth types, I could dig that for a day or two, but I can get that at a festival anytime haha!
I don’t think it’s a good idea, but if they do it, I’d say it’s only ok if they provide an all female space, and an all male space.
So a separate all-male space would be OK, then? Plenty of pro-male posters on the wall, etc.? Are the all-female and all-male employees supposed to work together?
@RocketGuy What’s this poster stuff? When I picture a room for women it’s just a room where they can feel more comfortable, take their hat or wig off if they’re orthodox, not worry about putting on make-up and high heals, and breast feed their infant if work allows the baby to be there.
Not that I’m pushing for the separate spaces, I’m just saying if they existed.
I don’t see this as plausible. I have worked in a place, where it was mostly women. Women seem to hate each other. Not to each other’s faces of course…
To me an all-male office would have sports posters (with cheerleaders) and Snap-On Tool calendars.
@RocketGuy That might be the biggest reason I think this whole idea is a bad one. Cheeleader posters? Ugh. Just makes me think of the stereotypical stockbroker, back in the day, all pumped up on testosterone, and often a total jerk. We could see them coming at work.
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