"Women don't invent things"

"Women don't invent things".

Years ago when I worked for a marketing company, a (male) client booked a meeting with me to discuss how the marketing company could potentially help with advertising & PR for his event. His event was a “Children’s Market” that they would hold in the town centre of where I live, and the stands would be run by children who were selling their creations or products. Sounds awesome, right? It gives children a way to practice their confidence in speaking to customers, and to show off their creations.

Upon meeting the client, I knew I was in for a ride - as soon as he walked in, I got a bone crushing handshake (I mean it when I say bone crushing - my hand was sore for days after), and he wouldn’t let me get a word in edgewise.

He opened up the meeting explaining what his event did: that the event had booths for children to run, and all the boys who were there were showing off their inventions and businesses, but the girls only sold arts & crafts as “women don’t invent things”.

(Side note - why he didn’t think art itself was an invention or creation, I do not know).

I tried to interject by saying that Hedy Lamarr might disagree with that statement, but as mentioned, this was not someone who wanted to hear me. Not only did he barely let me speak, but when I tried to interject, his retort back was “the only female I know who has invented something is Jo Malone. That’s it. Women don’t invent things.”?

All I took away from that meeting was that someone who was influencing young people, had the total belief in this statement that they said it not just once, but repeatedly, and even had the chutzpah to say this directly to a woman.

By the way, this specific Children’s event advertises itself as having had 72% female participants at their 2024 event. But apparently we invent nothing.

In hindsight, I wish I had been more vocal and put a stop to the meeting and explained how concerned I was that these children, between the ages of 7-17, were already being told that “women don’t invent things”. At an event that they were showcasing their inventions. I wasn't outspoken at the time of this meeting, as I felt beaten down, talked over, and I just wanted this individual out of my meeting room as soon as possible.

It’s something I’ve never forgotten, and I wish I had approached him with an educational aspect on how detrimental his words were to women of all ages.

As International Women’s Day 2025 approaches, I would like to share a SHORT list of Female Inventors that I wish I had mentioned to him at the time. There are many more.

• Jeanne Villepreux-Power - the aquarium
• Margaret E. Knight - the paper bag (worth a google on Margaret - she had to sue for patent infringement and the opposing argument was that a “woman could not possible understand mechanical complexities”
• Josephine Cochrane - the dishwasher
• Maria Beasley - multiple inventions, including an anti-derailment device for trains
• Mary Anderson - windshield wipers
• Melitta Bentz - coffee filters
• Grace Hopper - first compiler, and was the co-inventor of COBOL
• Hedy Lamarr - frequency hopping - without her, we wouldn’t have gps, bluetooth, or WiFi
• Marie Van Brittan Brown - the modern security system
• Stephanie Kwolek - kevlar
• Patricia Bath - laserphaco probe
• Ada Lovelace - computer programming
• Mary Wilkes - the software for LINC
• Radia Perlman - the algorithm behind STP
• Karen Sparck-Jones - IDF (inverse document frequency)
• Lauren van ’t Veer - gene-based breast cancer tests
• Helen Lee - an instant blood diagnostic kit for on the spot detection of infectious diseases
• Ursula Keller - ultra-fast lasers
• Jane ní Dhulchaointigh - mouldable glue
• Temple Grandin - several inventions which cut back on the mistreatment and stress of livestock animals (plus the deep pressure hug machine to help those with neurodiversity)
• Esther Sans Takeuchi - compact batteries that are literally lifesavers - they go into cardiac defibrillators.
• Margarita Salas Falgueras - a fast & simple way to do DNA replication
• Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic - developed a way of growing body tissue ex vivo
• Claude Grison - developed a method where plants can extract metal elements from polluted soil
• Marie Curie - radioactivity
• Mária Telkens - solar-powered heating systems (amongst other solar technologies)

My interaction with this individual is why ERGs like WIZE (Women in Zscaler Empower) are so vital in organisations, and why I’m so proud to work at Zscaler that recognises how important it is to give a supportive environment for women to engage and advance through their careers.

And who knows, maybe invent something too.

P.S. - we’re #hiring.

Lucy Stevenson (nee Ketley) Maddy Hare Milena Milchov Mara Camelia Paun Faye Onyesoh (Whaley) Polly Millar Luca Heighton Ravit R. Taran Randhawa Maximilian Misch Tom Smith Nik Foad Ross Kent Wendy Bartijn (She/Her) Stephanie Freudenreich Malvina Pavé Dayana Salcedo