Women in Rotary A Winning Proposition

Where It All Began Rotary Founded in 1905 as a men-only club Rotary officially open to women in 1989 Over 215,000 women in Rotary by 2012 Equates to 17.7% of Rotary membership 16.9% of districts have women governors Phenomenal growth, and yet…..

There’s Work To Do For every female Rotarian, there are five male Rotarians! Why? Perception still exists in some parts of the world that women are not welcome in Rotary.  Based on past history  Cultural bias against women Lack of informal networking opportunities to learn about opportunities for women in Rotary

There’s Work To Do Women associated with the home sphere--  Misconception by men and women that women are less capable, competitive, and task-oriented than men.  Difficulty in balancing family responsibilities, careers, and Rotary Misconceptions strengthened by lack of women leaders in Rotary as role models

Why Women Are Important to Rotary Increased gender diversity leads to:  Greater productivity and improved performance. Supported by private sector research  Increased attraction of, and retention of, volunteers. Women are one-half the world’s population. Consider demographics in your community.

How to Attract Women Build a product they will want to buy! Increase number of women in senior Rotary positions. Conduct recruitment campaigns targeted toward women.

What Makes Them Want to Join? Tailor the Rotary message for your audience. Messaging should break down preconceptions. Messaging should appeal to features of Rotary of interest to women. Develop a repertoire of club projects that appeals to and attracts all demographics.

Where To Find Them Utilize women to recruit women--  Colleagues  Community organizations  Social groups Rotary programs—RYLA, Youth Exchange, GSE, Ambassadorial Scholars and Peace Scholars

They’ve Joined…Now What? Take a personal interest in them. Encourage women to pursue positions of leadership in your club. Help them to discover their strengths through volunteerism.

The Bottom Line Women in Rotary receive the satisfaction of knowing they are involved in something greater than themselves. Rotary benefits from fresh ideas and perspectives. Members and clubs grow together. A Win-Win for Everyone!!