Empowering women & non-binary
creatives around the world đź’Ş
Ladies*, Wine** & Design is a global non-profit initiative with chapters in over 285 cities worldwide. LW&D was founded in 2015 by Jessica Walsh after this happened. Only .1% of creative agencies are founded by women & non-binary people, and the numbers are even smaller for women/non-binary BIPOC. Our mission is to see more diversity in the creative industry, especially within leadership roles. LW&D takes an intersectional approach to this work. We offer free mentorship circles, portfolio reviews, talks & creative meetups for underrepresented creatives.
*Our space is inclusive of all women, non-binary, agender and gender non-conforming people. Self-definition is at the sole discretion of that individual. If you feel you could benefit from a space meant for people who do not identify as cis men to share ideas and collaborate, you are welcome. **Alcohol is entirely optional; you can drink tea, coffee, or whatever you like!
June 1st | “VIRTUAL PORTFOLIO REVIEW”: LW&D London‘s Virtual Portfolio Review session with their amazing line-up of mentors: Deanna Bains, Laura Bertinelli, Natalie Chen, Caitlin Clancy, Carol Feeley, Amy Foster, Tamsin Fraser, Helen Fuch, Joanna Henly, Paulina Jawor, RenĂ©e Melo, Claudia Morris, Jessie Thavonekham, Paula Williams. The review sessions will happen within the next couple of weeks (until the 15th of June), so get your portfolio ready! INFO
June 3rd | “SALON NIGHT”: What is normal? What is the new normal? Will we return to life as it was? Does it feel weird to attend an event that is suddenly in person? Especially if you have been attending online for the past year? Meet LW&D Prague and chat about the new norm. This Salon Night will be held in person on a rooftop with one of the best views in Prague (if the weather cooperates). Attendees will get all the info two days before the event. RSVP
June 8th | “#GENERATIONRESTORATION”: Participating in the collective effort of the United Nations to draw attention to environmental protection and encourage initiatives around it, @lwdathens invite you to their online meeting on #GenerationRestoration. By supporting the actions of people who love, respect and strive to do the best for the planet, we give them the stage to present their actions and to inspire similar actions to members of our community. RSVP
June 16th | “STRUCTURING USER RESEARCH”: Join LW&D Baltimore for Structuring User Research with Devin Harold, a Sr. Manager of UX Research at Verizon about research for the product life cycle. Learn how to think about and plan user research for different phases of the product life cycle. From determining methodology to delivering a phased research plan or even structuring your interview guides; ensure you’re set up to maximize insights. RSVP
June 17th | “LW&D x @PRINT.SAFARI: Lino Printing Workshop.” Join LW&D Melbourne & Print Safari for a 3-hr lino printing workshop (+ wine!) at @printsafari’s studio space in the Abbotsford Convent. Draw, design and carve your own lino tile before printing onto a tote bag which you will get to take home. This event is open to everyone who identifies as human and is keen, no experience required. RSVP
June 23rd | “INTERVIEWING DOS & DONTS”: LW&D Salt Lake City is so excited to see everyone ~safely~ in person for their next event to discuss what to do and what not to do during the interview process! Come with questions about how to nail your interviews, a print out of your resume, and ready to learn! The time and date are set, but the location will be coming to you via email so make sure to register and watch for it. RSVP
LW&D takes an intersectional approach to feminism, recognizing the complicated experiences of individuals based on the varying intersections of privilege and oppression. Feminism can not only champion the equality of white, cisgender, straight women. Feminism must be inclusive of all people, championing equality for everyone, no matter their gender, sexual orientation, race, nationality, age, or ability.
Intersectional feminism is imperative as we push for equality for women, non-binary, trans & BIPOC creatives in the creative field. We must adopt an intersectional lens as we battle discrimination in the creative industry. So, what does this mean? We must take into account people’s varying experiences, such as someone who is both a woman and a woman of color. Watch this ted talk talk by Kimberlé Crenshaw for more context.
Ladies, Wine & Design was founded in 2015 with the mission to fight for equality for all in the design industry. We do this by: 1. Hosting free events for underrepresented creatives 2. Amplifying the work & voices of underrepresented creatives through web & social media features and interviews 3. Free mentorship for underrepresented creatives  4. Connecting underrepresented creatives together to share resources, knowledge, connections, inspiration & advice.
If you would like to be paired with a mentor, please email us. If you’re in the creative industry and can offer your mentorship or guidance, do contact us to get involved.
With COVID-19, we’ve started doing mentorships digitally over video chat. If you’re an underrepresented creative looking for a mentor, please email us with the title “I want to find a mentor – Your Name Here” to info@ladieswinedesign.com. If you’re able to mentor others, email us with the title “I’d like to be a mentor – Your Name Here” to info@ladieswinedesign.com.
There are many reasons for the lack of diversity in leadership roles historically:
Sexism & Racism in the Workplace
There are studies that show that companies are often consciously or unconsciously biased in favor of candidates who are cis white men, which leads them to be hired, getting raises, and receiving promotions. While this is changing, there is still a pay gap today between candidates who hold the same job titles. Women & non-binary people of all racial and ethnic groups earn less than white men, and studies show there is an even larger wage gap for BIPOC. If you’re in a leadership role, be cognizant of this bias and make sure raises and promotions are given out based on merit.
Lack of Diversity in Mentors & Idols Historically
Open a design history book, and you’ll see that almost all the famous designers mentioned are white men. The design industry used to be a boys club at the top, lacking diversity across both gender and race. With a lack of representation among their role models, underrepresented people can be deterred from pursuing creative positions. Thanks to the pioneering activists and feminists before us, this has been changing and many of our favorite designers working today are other women and non-binary creatives! But, there is still a lot of work to do. Intersectional feminism is imperative as we push for equality for all people in the creative field. We must adopt an intersectional lens as we battle discrimination in the creative industry. So, what does this mean? We must take into account people’s varying experiences, such as someone who is both a woman and a woman of color. In order to have equality and representation of all women and non-binary people in the creative field, we can champion and celebrate the successes of one another, offering guidance and mentorship to underrepresented creatives starting out in their careers. If you’re in the creative industry and can offer your mentorship or guidance, do contact us to get involved.
The responsibility of childbearing
Many people start families and have children around the age when they are furthering their education or entering the labor force. Historically, most cisgender men continued working and did not hold child-bearing responsibilities, leading to a gender imbalance in terms of career success. Many call this the “motherhood tax,” referring to the financial burdens and sacrifices involved in motherhood.
Trans and non-binary people in the workplace
Discrimination and prejudice against non-binary people is a form of sexism that happens in the workplace across all industries. This discrimination affects every aspect of both a person’s working and personal life. Studies show that nearly 60% of transgender people report having experienced employment discrimination, including being fired, denied a promotion or harassed. It is imperative that we make a conscious effort for equality of all people in the workplace, respecting and accepting everyone for who they are. Trans and non-binary people have the right to be able to live, dress and have their gender respected at work.
While the numbers are staggering simple things can change them:
Promote Your Peers
In studies, successful women and non-binary people are shown to receive more backlash compared to successful men. Root for one another and celebrate each other’s successes instead of tearing each other down. We can all help in various ways, big or small. Share your favorite designers on your social media, invite more underrepresented voices to your design conferences, make sure there is diversity in books on design, and so on.
Leadership at Companies
As a leader, make sure underrepresented creatives are considered for promotions, receive feedback to get to higher positions, and create action plans that help build leadership skills. Do not penalize or discredit people for needing work-life balance and flexibility.
Support Women & Non-Binary People in the Workplace
Be supportive of all people in your workspace. Use gender-neutral language in the workplace ask and use peoples correct pronouns. In addition, women and non-binary voices are often not heard or their ideas get lost in meetings. Make sure they have their physical spot in conversations, not getting elbowed out by others. If someone interrupts them, be direct and ask the interrupter to wait for their turn to speak. If you see someone’s ideas are immediately getting unfairly shut down, repeat, reference, and credit that idea over and over. This technique is called amplification and we owe this to Obama’s administration.
Mentor Women & Non-Binary Creatives
If you’ve found success as a creative, take the time to mentor others who are starting out in their careers.
Don’t Tolerate Sexism, Racism, or Homophobia
Do not normalize forms of sexism by accepting mansplaining, manterrupting, gaslighting or bropriating. If you see racist/sexist/homophobic behavior in public or at home, speak up against it. If you see this behavior online, you can report the behavior or language. To stop sexist and racist behavior, we must adopt a zero tolerance policy.
Resources on combating racism: Everyday Feminism, Amnesty International, Ted
Resources on combating sexism: HuffPost, Elle, NPR Podcast Directory, Girl Scouts
Resources on combating homophobia: Human Rights Campaign, The Washington Post, The Guardian
Women earn less than men in 439 of 446 major U.S. occupations. The average for men is $55,835 and $43,845 for women. As designers, women earn 79% of their counterparts who are men, and this number is even lower for women of color. The most effective way to change the pay gap in the industry is hiring women and non-binary people, paying attention to their results and efforts, and rewarding them equally. It sounds simple, but we are not always aware of how much unconscious misogyny we might have. This means constantly questioning ourselves and making equality a central topic in our lives.
Studies show that after transitioning, transgender women’s earnings fall by nearly one-third. This finding echoes the lower value placed on women in the workplace. The trans and non-binary communities experience poverty at 4x the rate of the general population. Studies and conversations about the gender pay gap need to be more inclusive, rather than just about comparisons between cisgender men and women. Most corporations do not recognize people’s genders outside of male and female, and for this reason, there are very few studies on wage discrepancy for non-binary people, and this needs to change.
Sexual harassment is still a major problem. 75% of those who experience sexism do not report it because of embarrassment or feeling like it could jeopardize a promotion or even lead to being fired. But even when they do report it, little is done. More than half of the official allegations of sexual harassments result in no charge. Motherhood also plays a big role in the industry, as women with children have less of a chance of being hired.
Most people won’t deliberately identify themselves as misogynistic, racist, or homophobic. However, there’s something called unconscious bias, which is the unconscious discrimination of certain groups of people: from race to religion to sexual orientation. This can manifest in different ways, whether it’s resisting to trust the choices of a woman or non-binary person or responding differently to a person of a different color than you. We can do this without consciously realizing it. It is our duty to stay open-minded to our own human defects, and continuously take a critical look at our own behaviors and privileges.
Examples of privileges include being white, cisgender, college educated, physically or mentally healthy, or financially stable. Why does this matter? Privilege can affect everything from how someone is treated in society on a daily basis to what basic human resources a person has access to. If you have privileges, you can use them to help fight for equality of more marginalized, less privileged people.
Our NYC-based events are free to allow access to all people regardless of financial backgrounds. Occasionally, some of our other chapters charge a small fee to cover the hard costs of their events (speakers, space, etc).
There are many ways you can support us!
Join Your Local Chapter Â
We have a map on our homepage — check it out to see if you have a local LWD chapter in your city. If you do, make sure to attend an event and ask the hosts if you can assist them in any way!
Start a Local ChapterÂ
If your city doesn’t have a local chapter and you want to be a host, email us at info@ladieswinedesign.com and we’ll get you started!
Accessibility At All Events
At our NYC events, we make sure that all our venues are accessible, and we encourage all chapters to do the same! If you are hosting an event, make sure to use this checklist to make sure your event is accessible and that you have accessibility information listed for upcoming events
Sponsorships
If you have space you can offer up in your city for events or can provide free wine or food for one of our events, do contact us about sponsorships! We’re happy to give social media love in exchange for your support. Before now, we’ve taken no financial donations and this project has been entirely self-funded. Currently, &Walsh is the sole financial sponsor of LW&D, but we’ll be looking for additional sponsorship this year. We’d love a corporate sponsor to help with larger events to help us hire staff to keep the organization running. The organization will never be for-profit, this money will be used entirely on our events & staff. Email us at info@ladieswinedesign.com if you’d like to discuss sponsorships.
Follow Us
You can also follow us on Instagram and follow all the amazing creatives we feature. Championing other women and non-binary creatives is one of the best ways to support Ladies, Wine & Design, so one day we don’t need to exist.
Want to sponsor LW&D? Help bring equality to the creative industry by supporting women, non-binary and underepresented creatives all over the world. Write us!
