Have you been addressed by an after dinner speaker lately and was the speaker a man? You might not have thought much of it during the speech, but actually most professional after dinner speakers are men. Indeed, at speakers’ agencies across the country, drill down into the roster of stars that they represent and whilst there may be several female celebrities available for personal appearances, the after dinner speaker with expertise in business or politics tend to be men.
In a society where gender equality and political correctness is at the very centre of employers’ mindsets, it is interesting to try and figure out why after dinner speakers should be overwhelmingly male. There’s a lot of backing for the argument that it’s not the after dinner speaking industry that’s sexist, but rather the male dominated industries from which speakers are sourced. There’s some sense in this theory: in the business sphere, most after dinner speakers are former Prime Ministers, politicians, business leaders or even sports stars. All of these industries are dominated by men. It is also true that the spheres in which after dinner speakers work are likely to be mostly male. Business speakers, for example, work at corporate conferences, whose attendees are still mostly male.
However, the after dinner speakers offered by leading speakers’ agencies are starting to change. There are more female speakers than ever. Women after dinner speakers are earning more respect and recognition and are more in demand than ever. But still, even in our politically correct society, there are claims of a gender pay gap in the speaking industry. Even in the glossy world of the after dinner circuit, it seems we have a way to go before we find equality.