Liz Lawley reflects a bit more on gender diversity at tech conferences and links to two articles whose text and associated comments are worth reading.

I agree that there is a gender diversity problem at tech conferences and both posts by Anil Dash eloquently speak to that issue. But the more fundamental and disheartening problem is lack of diversity of voice at these conferences. I don’t see the “gender” issue as being that much different from the “A-List Echo” issue in form… and in effect it is perhaps even more damaging.

The very discussion at hand is a great example of the kind of inner circle discussion that reflect the A-List mentality that dominates most conferences. Just look at the names and how many of them most people will recognize with the last name: Anil, Tim, Liz, Eric, Cameron, Caterina, etc.

At most tech conferences I attend, the real issue is not specifically lack of female presenters, but lack of new and lesser-known voices of any kind. Conferences, in so many unhappy ways, reflect the kind of hegemony and gatekeeping that Web 2.0 is supposed to be against. By all means, select from the lists compiled by Anil and Jens, but how about also culling from the other 80% (or 99.5%) of the web for speakers and presenters and facilitators outside of the tiny fraction that spend their time appearing at practically every conference there is? There’s plenty of opportunity to go around. It’s great that Caterina and Anil, for instance, have chances to present– they are very good– but what about the dozens of other people who have something interesting to share and are good at sharing it (and that’s just the dozens I know)? Maybe instead of scores of repeat perofrmances, we could see the A-Listers only a few times and open the doors a bit wider to speakers outside of the established A-List group… male or female.