7 Issues You May Experience if You’re a Woman in Model UN

Written with contribution from various students in the North American Model United Nations community.

If you’re a woman who has been a delegate or staffer at a Model United Nations conference before, chances are you’ve experienced all or most of these common sexism issues in MUN. It can be extremely frustrating to experience the same gender-based discrimination over and over again. While these actions are rarely intentional and most of us don’t even realize when we’re doing them, there are steps we can all take to be better allies for women in MUN through noticing these common situations and acting to handle them. 

1) Being talked over. Constantly.

Scientific studies have actually shown that people are less likely to hear a voice that is a higher pitch (like a woman’s). We’ve all heard a man with a loud, deep voice be able to command a room or bloc. Many times, women delegates try to contribute to conversations in unmoderated caucuses or within their bloc, only to be ignored, interrupted, or talked over. No matter if you are a self-identifying woman, we can all notice this issue of being spoken over. Call it out when you see it! Being an ally for women in your committee and bloc is incredibly important. If you respectfully point out that someone is being talked over or ignored constantly, odds are the rest of your group will become more aware of what they’ve been doing and will make an effort to be more equitable in speaking.

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2) Being told you’re too “aggressive” or “bossy.”

It is common for Model UN delegates to be assertive and strong leaders. A common negative reaction to women trying to lead is for people to call them bossy. It’s personally frustrating and can lead to women doubting their own abilities, and feeling pressured to stand down or be more amicable. If you are a woman with the patience and motivation, you can attempt to calmly explain your perspective of the situation. Remind yourself that while “bossy” has a negative connotation, CEOs, politicians, world leaders and game changers were once all called bossy: reclaim the world and proudly declare yourself a boss! While it can feel like stereotypes surround you, there will always be delegates who trust, respect and want to work with successful, intelligent delegates, regardless of gender. There is no need to change your behavior for someone else’s insecurities, just focus on your own abilities.

3) Being reduced to your wardrobe choices.

While men may wear the same suit for two or even three days of a conference, women can feel the need to obsess over how their wardrobe choices will affect how others think of them. Many women in MUN have been told to “wear a pink dress so you don’t seem threatening and can flirt with the chair” or “if you wear pants and flats you’ll look too manly.” Thus, some delegates will spend lots of time over finding the right balance. While it’s easier said than done, ignore the haters. Have a few outfits on deck per conference that you feel comfortable wearing, so you can feel confident in your clothes and focus on substance-related issues during debate. Classic black and white and a blazer will do the trick, or if you are feeling more daring, wearing brighter colors will make you more easily noticed in the committee room. If you hate having painful blisters at the end of the day, just go for the flats – no one will notice or care. But most of all, just pick what you feel most comfortable in. Our clothes can help us feel confident, and that is the key to success at the end of the day.

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4) Being pitted against other women in committee.

In Model UN, it is extremely common to see committee awards where one woman awards amongst many men. This is due to many issues, both institutional and stereotype-based. It’s possible that the chair has inherent biases against more assertive women without realizing it, or that the women in committee were constantly spoken over and ignored. It’s also possible there are fewer women in committee, due to institutionalized inaccessibility within individual MUN teams. This can make women strive to be “the best woman,” instead of “the best delegate,” and hope to see others fail for the sake of competition and for that one seat at the table. To address this, check yourself. If you find yourself thinking thoughts like “I have to be the best woman in committee,” take a second to reflect on why that is not okay. At the end of the day, making sure to support other women is more important than any award, so if you would like to, you can potentially reach out to other women and work with them more. While you don’t have to be in a bloc with other powerful women, chances are you have a lot in common either way. Making friends or, at the very least, not targeting each other can create an environment where women can focus on doing their best work, rather than on competition.

5) Experiencing a very binary, traditional system.

Often times, we talk about Model UN and delegates’ qualities in terms of masculinity or femininity, but there is a wider spectrum of people that can feel rightfully underrepresented. It’s easy to use gender norms to classify debate style. For example, cooperative styles are associated with “feminine delegates” while more competitive, aggressive styles can be associated with “masculine qualities.” Chairs in Model UN can sometimes institutionally decide awards based on who displays the more masculine qualities (though, of course, this does not apply to everyone). As a chair, you can try to foster a more open environment by making your expectations clear to delegates at the beginning of committee, such as: no backstabbing, no excluding of delegates, and we will judge awards based on a holistic scale. As a staffer, try to push yourself to not use gender when talking about delegates (“the woman from Pakistan,” “the blonde guy,” etc.) and call it out if you notice blocs are forming around gender lines. This further breaks down gender norms within committee.

6) Not being perceived as substantive.

Many women in Model UN have been treated as though they just don’t understand the topic, and are faced with patronizing explanations (mansplaining) or are simply ignored. This is especially true in military, business, science, or technology committees, reflective of the real-world areas that are dominated by men and inaccessible for women. Women have to fight to be given respect and trust that is automatically given to men who speak confidently, even if the woman is an expert on the topic.

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Women in MUN can sometimes research and prepare much more than other delegates, in anticipation of being questioned or in fear of getting something wrong. While frustrating, this is an advantage that you can leverage. Back up your position with facts and don’t be apologetic. Finding allies can also alleviate a huge amount of stress; if you have honest conversations with other delegates that you trust, they can be invaluable. Communicating that certain delegates are questioning everything you say or not treating you like an equal member of the bloc can help others recognize the pattern.  Allies can back you up with simple phrases such as “she wrote this clause, let’s listen to her” or “that was her idea, you need to talk to her about amendments.” In crisis committees, standing your ground if someone questions your directive or your crisis arc can be important.

7) Seeing sexism within your own MUN team.

Sexism in Model United Nations does not just occur at the conference level. Within each team, high school or college, there could be institutionalized biases within team structures that prevent travel or competition at conferences in the first place. Inequitable structures could include men dominating leadership positions, women being selected from tryouts for travel team less, or women being barred from doing crisis committees. They could also include remarks or jokes regarding women and competing in Model UN conferences. The smallest things can lead to a perpetuation of sexism and a toxic environment within your team. To solve these common issues, start dialogue about how all people can be supportive of women in MUN by bringing out these core issues and discussing solutions to them, both on the side of women who face them and on the side of others who can be more effective allies. This can be uncomfortable, especially when the perpetrator is a friend or someone you trust has good intentions – but try to be okay with being uncomfortable.

Additionally, going to your advisor to discuss your concerns can emphasize your passion for the issue and give you administrative support. Your advisor may even have some good ideas on how to tackle issues of sexism and ensure that women within the team are supported. Lastly, though this is easier said than done, if you are a self-identifying woman who wants to be on the leadership board of your team, make it known and never give up on achieving that goal. Change starts with each individual, and having more diverse leadership can be very inspiring for younger generations looking to get into Model UN.

 

Conclusion

While these are some of the most common issues women can face, the list certainly does not end here. There are many other common instances of gender-based discrimination, from the subconscious to the outright (check out our list of WoMUNecdotes!) It is vital, therefore, is to think critically about the social dynamics around you and to call out sexism when you see it. Most importantly, have conversations, practice empathy, and focus on being the best delegate you can, regardless of how others see you.

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