Women to be celebrated in Print HERstory month
10 Feb 2023 11:20

Print HERstory month will return in March as a celebration of the many women who work in print and allied trades.

Established in 2019, the event seeks to give women in the industry a platform to share their work and stories online.

Deborah Corn, organiser of the event and founder of Girls Who Print, said 2023’s event would focus on building bridges across the global print community.

Corn, herself American, told Printweek that while Women’s History Month gets a lot of attention, she had felt the print industry had not historically done enough to celebrate the work of its female members who so often find themselves a minority in their organisation.

She said: “I decided to hone [Women’s History Month] in a little closer to home and share about all the fierce, fabulous females who power print and make HERstory every day. 

“We ask a few questions that everyone answers, and share it through Girls Who Print and Print Media Centr channels. The industry also loves to share this content, especially if any of their female employees participated.”

While many companies have actively begun seeking out women and people of colour to recruit, many problems remain in the print industry’s acceptance of people who aren’t white men, Corn said.

“A long time ago I realised that getting recognised as a voice of authority or industry expertise was not going to be as easy for women,” she said.

“At Girls Who Print we focus on creating as much visibility for women as we can so events and trade magazines and companies looking to fill positions know they are out there. If we don't do it ourselves, it wont happen on any meaningful scale. 

“The importance is diversity - in thought, in approach, in life experience. A broader view is important for everyone, and more reflective of the world around us.”

Women, wherever they may be in the world, can get involved with Print HERstory month by going to GirlsWhoPrint.net, and clicking on the ‘Q&A’ tab.

Corn said: “Answer the questions, include a hi-res picture and send it to me. I will tag everyone on LinkedIn and all shares include #PrintHERstoryMonth and #GirlsWhoPrint so they can be found across all social media channels.”

Prepared on the basis of information from Print Week