Gender Balance Statement for Warmwell November 2019
Requirement for
(1) all female group lodges
(2) all lodges which have more female than men.
GENDER BALANCE RATIOS
we are facing a situation that could go out of control.
are ladies fully aware of the situation?
do ladies care about the situation when they book?
Our target has been achieved each year at the past eight MJRoc Dance November weekenders and this is between 47-48% men to 52-53% females.
We have seen the current booking trend for Warmwell 2019, these are the customers from November 2018 who rebooked exactly what they had again for 2019.
Men tend to book late and until they do, our gender balancing ratio is currently poor.
High numbers have rebooked and new bookings are coming in from equal mixed gender groups and females snapping up remaining rooms in the female "Stranger" only lodges.
But times are changing and this ratio is set to plummet with a male decreasing ratio! So we have to be concerned.
More and more demands are for all female lodges or more females than men in a group.
Will the men book late, what happens if they do not?
Do we reduce the numbers we take to keep our target ratios? I.E. keeping females on standby lists until gender balance ratio is back on track then allow them to book?
Do we only take a very limited number of groups where there are more females than males? (these have already re- booked from Warmwell 2019)
What do we do when equal gender accepted bookings want to change to more female than men?
Do we abandon taking any bookings for Female only Groups?
Unlike other known events, for MJRoc Events its about the success of the event and not to fill our lodges at any cost, i.e. not caring about gender balance ratios and just filling lodges with mainly females, creating a massive headache at the weekender.
If we take them (female only group bookings), then there has to be a joint effort on part of the females to ensure they get men to book into male groups or male stranger lodges to improve the gender balance ratio. Without this consideration by the females we (MJRoc) cannot consider taking their increasing bookings.
Based on experience:
We had a disaster dance weekender when we had too many females, purely only for gender balancing reasons, in April 2012 when trying to establish a spring Warmwell through demand. We had almost 400 dancers in attendance.
But we only achieved a 40% to 60% male to female ratio. We had complaints from females that there were not enough to dance with. Men did not book late for this event, so that set concern for all future events and how they were planned.
When it was established who was doing the most complaining, this was mainly the all females lodges and when asked if they had encouraged any men to come to Warmwell, its was almost a NIL response!
Men traditionally are hard to encourage to book early, hence why females tend to go on standby lists very quickly if the ratio men to women is not close to our target.
If you had been allowed to book an all female group (without concerns) booking or more females than men group booking, we would soon have a big problem if you all don’t not do your bit (as happened in 2012) or are you worried?
Some numbers
A group of 4-6 ladies with no men we have gender balance of minus 4-6.
Groups ask us to change from a gender balanced lodge, i.e. six people (three men, three ladies) to a group with only 2 men to four ladies. All of a sudden we have a gender balance that was moment equal to minus 2.
This would only get worse the more bookings taken, the gap of men to women would only increase.
Or do we just say, lets no longer worry about a gender ratio and if lots of ladies are waiting around for a dance, everyone knows the score when they book and they can have no complaints? Warmwell would go down hill from there. Your thoughts?
SO HERE IS A WAY TO GO FORWARD
If you want to be booked at Warmwell 2018, you are required to be in agreement THAT you agree to participate in efforts encourage men to book and that men will be booked via your recommendations.
As the lead name you need to let the ladies know in your group lodge that this is the booking condition and why you have been allowed to book.
By paying your deposit confirms this too.
Everyone is in agreement to “do their bit” to encourage men to book either in all male groups or into male “stranger lodges” and drive up the male to female ratio.
MJRoc alone cannot reach into your local dance communities without your efforts too.
You and MJRoc will need to both “do there bit” to ensure a decent male to female ratio is reached at this and future events.
Plus if you recommend any male who books into Male Stranger Lodges, you enter the free draw for the chance to win back your place for 2020.
If you wish to continue on this understanding with these conditions and book please complete the following: