Amidst this discussion about why it is important to increase the representation of women across the board (apart from the speaker pledge, people have started discussing attendee pledges quite rightly), is this PBS profile of Esther Takeuchi, who is said to hold more patents than any other woman in the US. She mentions how including different people in solving a problem can help the situation because we all come at it from different angles. I particularly like this quote:
Inclusion isn’t just mandated because it’s politically correct. I think it’s imperative for us to actually make progress.
One Size Fits One 