SJ Magazine cancels all-male panel on ‘women’s empowerment’ following criticism

The panel topic was called ‘Women in business: A man’s point of view’

The poster for the panel discussion (SJ Magazine, Twitter)

A magazine has cancelled an event on women's empowerment after it was criticised for booking an all male panel to speak.

Booked as part of SJ Magazine's “Women’s Empowerment Series”, the panel called: “Women in business: A man’s point of view".

ESPN national correspondent Sal Paolantonio and New Jersey State Assembly majority leader Lou Greenwald, Dr Ali Houshman, the president of Rowan University and Richard Miller, the CEO of a company called Virtua.

A tweet from the New Jersey based magazine to promote the event promised “a fascinating night of personal stories”.

But it soon received a barrage of criticism from people online. Many accused it of sexism.

In response, the magazine said that the panel was one of four panels and the other three were made up entirely of women.

“Men have a responsibility to step up and support women and we want to start the discussion,” the tweet read.

A second added: “No mansplaining allowed."

But one person responded by tweeting: “That’s exactly what this will be! You’re not allowing the men to even hear a woman’s counter-perspective.”

Another wrote: “Women make 75 cents on the dollar so I guess getting 75% of the panels about women's empowerment and hearing from men about women’s experience in business is par for the course.”

Others pointed out that the pay gap is even wider for African American and Latina women.

Just hours later SJ Magazine pulled the panel completely, tweeting a statement that read: “As a woman-owned business, women’s empowerment has always been part of our mission statement.

“We believe it is helpful when everyone is part of the conversation on women’s empowerment and feminism. It was never our intent to offend anyone.”