We welcome all to attend this session. Within this webinar, delegates have the opportunity to hear practical insights into how we have helped organisations to recognise childlessness as an important Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) issue. We share with you our best practice recommendations, opportunities, as well as the challenges we have encountered in assisting organisations to incorporate childlessness into their EDI agendas. We showcase how acknowledging this matter is essential for the benefit of both the employer and their employees.
Research indicates that approximately one in five women and one in four men do not have children, with a disproportionate number of LGBTQ+ individuals affected. A significant number of these individuals are childless not by choice. This statistic transcends to around 20-30% of the workforce, and this figure is expected to rise as the rate of childlessness increases.
Childlessness has significant effects on employees, including grief, being subjected to misconceptions, triggers and sometimes unfair treatment related to (non-)parental status.
This session highlights strategies for formally recognising childlessness in the workplace, and the various ways we have addressed this issue.
The session is facilitated by Katy Schnitzler, a consultant, lead trainer and academic in the fields of childlessness and reproductive health issues in the workplace. Katy shares her experiences of successfully including childlessness within the EDI agenda through her consultancy, MIST Workshops Ltd. Importantly, she also highlights the barriers and key issues.
DATE: Saturday 21st September
TIME: 11am BST - See your timezone HERE
REGISTER FOR THIS WEBINAR HERE
Please note: Whilst the panellists will be recorded, your camera and audio will be turned off. If you are unable to attend the webinar live, you DO NOT need to register to watch the replay. Just subscribe to the World Childless Week YouTube channel and you’ll be notified when new recordings are added.
PANNELLISTS
Katy Schnitzler - UK
Katy Schnitzler is the founder and lead training consultant of MIST Workshops Ltd. MIST provide bespoke training, policy writing and support for organisations on the topics of childlessness, pregnancy loss and infertility.
MIST’s work is academically-informed by Katy’s PhD research. Katy has worked with various organisations to improve practice in these prevalent and significant, yet often overlooked areas - including global energy and financial companies, universities, Premier League Football Clubs and the NHS.
Rachel Cordon - UK
Hello my name's Rachel and I'm an involuntarily childless 41 year old Psychotherapeutic Breathworker, Business Improvement & Change Manager, and CNBC Diversity & Inclusion Leader. It sounds like a crazy combination, but I love the variety!
For the last 11 years I've trodden this path of infertility and childlessness.
As many of us have, I've been through terribly dark times that I thought would never end, but in 2020 I found and embarked on a 3 year intensive Breathwork training programme that totally transformed my life physically, mentally and emotionally. Breathwork has enabled me to embrace acceptance and find feelings of gratitude, joy, value and positivity about my life and future. It's brought life back in to my heart, and I have found my place in community.
During 2023 I spearheaded a Diversity & Inclusion campaign at my Corporate workplace of 40k employees to raise awareness for our involuntarily childless community, and founded Papillon Breathwork with a vision of supporting our involuntarily childless community's' healing journey.
Sam H - UK
Following six years of unsuccessful fertility treatment, and convinced she was the only childless person in the world, Sam found 'More To Life' (part of Fertility Network UK) and then Gateway Women. Finding others who 'understood' was key to feeling less alone and healing.
Despite still feeling unseen and triggered in the workplace, Sam didn't want to speak out publicly. As a technical writer, she used writing to HR and other professional workplace organisations as a way to take small steps to raise awareness of the key issues, and was able to get World Childless Week added to her work's diversity & inclusion calendar.
REGISTER FOR THIS WEBINAR HERE
