I noticed a few women-focused tech meetups. The subjects sounded great, but I wasn’t sure how a women-only event would feel.

I’m not a big believer in women gathering together to discuss being women.

Still, you can’t judge a meetup by its cover - I had to bite the bullet and try it at least once.

The meetup

This ladies meetup was fantastic for a few key reasons:

  • The subject was great no matter who attended.

  • There was never a mention of our gender.

  • Somehow the group felt instantly close - maybe because we all had two things in common - an interest and our gender.

  • I didn’t feel afraid to ask questions. I realised that if I meet a guy at a meetup, I assume he is an amazing tech genious who doesn’t want to waste his time teaching me. This is mostly definitely not true of course, but it does alter my behaviour.

Gripes

A man who attended. I appreciate you shouldn’t close an event to a certain type of person. But seriously, it felt so wierd that a guy turned up to a very explicitly stated women’s event.

Key Take Aways

  1. Do attend ladies’ meetups if you are a lady.
  2. In fact, look for any opportunities to attend specialised meetups where you fit the group spec.

For any group, the more things everyone has in common, the closer members feel. One girl was from the same country as me, and I instantly felt super comfortable chatting to her. We shared an interest, our gender, and our nationality!

Finding your community rocks!

Feedback

Always feel free to get in touch with general thoughts or questions.