The worldsa国际传媒檚 largest tech conference has apparently learned a big lesson about gender equity.

CES, the huge annual consumer-electronics show in Las Vegas, caught major flak from activists in late 2017 when it unveiled an all-male lineup of keynote speakers for the second year in a row. Although it later added two female keynoters , the gatheringsa国际传媒檚 sa国际传媒渂oyssa国际传媒� clubsa国际传媒� reputation remained intact. It didnsa国际传媒檛 help that one of the unsanctioned events latching on to CES last year was a nightclub featuring female sa国际传媒渞obot strippers.sa国际传媒�

This year, four of the nine current keynoters are women. GenderAvenger, the activist group that raised a ruckus last year, recently sent CES organizers a congratulatory letter and awarded the show a sa国际传媒淕old Stamp of Approvalsa国际传媒� for a roster of keynote and sa国际传媒渇eaturedsa国际传媒� speakers that it says is 45 per cent women sa国际传媒� 60 per cent of them women of colour.

Itsa国际传媒檚 a significant change for CES, which like most tech conferences remains disproportionately male, just like the industry it serves. Even absent the robot dogs, sci-fi worthy gadgets and sa国际传媒渂ooth babessa国际传媒� CES has been known for, you could readily peg it as a technology show from the bathroom lines alone sa国际传媒� where men shift uncomfortably as they wait their turn while women waltz right in.

Keynoters this year include IBM CEO Ginni Rometty; Lisa Su, CEO of chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices; and U.S. Transportation Security Elaine Chao. The entire featured speaker list is currently half female, although the exact percentage wonsa国际传媒檛 be known until after the event. sa国际传媒淭here is no question we keep trying to do better,sa国际传媒� said Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, which organizes CES.

sa国际传媒淒iversity is about having people who see things differently sa国际传媒� frankly, disagree with you and tell you that you are stupid,sa国际传媒� said Tania Yuki, CEO of social media analytics company Shareablee and an attendee of CES for the past several years. The big question, she says, is whether CES has really listened to its critics.

CES is the place to be for tech companies and startups to show off their latest gadgets and features. More than 180,000 people are expected to attend this year, and some 4,500 companies will be on the convention floor. Among them are newcomers like Tide maker Procter & Gamble, defence contractor Raytheon and tractor seller John Deere sa国际传媒� all eager to burnish their technology bona fides.

Don't miss , featuring Ginni Rometty, opening with a corporate keynote address. She will discuss how tech will significantly improve how businesses operate and people work and live

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But really levelling the playing field often means more than inviting female CEOs to speak. For starters, women and people of colour are underrepresented in the tech industry, especially in leadership and technical roles. So, conference organizers might need to look harder, or be more flexible in who they invite to speak.

There are also optics. While recent attendees say sa国际传媒渂ooth babessa国际传媒� sa国际传媒� scantily clad women hawking gadgets sa国际传媒� no longer seem to be a presence, some companies still hire sa国际传媒渇itness models,sa国际传媒� largely young women wearing tight-fitting outfits, to demo products. This can make it difficult for the few women at the show who are there as executives, engineers and other technologists, as men mistake them for models, too.

sa国际传媒淲hen you are talking about scantily clad models you are setting a tone,sa国际传媒� said Bobbie Carlton, the founder of Innovation Women, a speaker bureau for women. sa国际传媒淚t is a slippery slope and you end up with this type of mentality that runs through industry, where women are objectified and are only useful if they look good.sa国际传媒�

More optics: Until recently, a porn convention taking place immediately after CES appeared more diverse than CES itself. Not a good look for the tech confab.

There are also logistical challenges, Carlton said. For example, women often work for smaller companies, which can find it more challenging to sa国际传媒渟end someone cross-country to stay at a fancy hotel for three days,sa国际传媒� she said.

Rajia Abdelaziz is CEO of invisaWear, a startup that makes smart sa国际传媒渟afety jewelry.sa国际传媒� While shesa国际传媒檚 attending CES this year, she said it wasnsa国际传媒檛 worth the $10,000 it would cost her company to have its own convention-floor booth. In addition to the cost concerns, Abdelaziz notes that her products are primarily aimed at women sa国际传媒� and there just arensa国际传媒檛 that many of them at CES.

Women are also still more likely to be responsible for the home and for child care, so they might turn down speaking opportunities if the timing doesnsa国际传媒檛 work for them, Carlton said.

CES has tried to make some concessions. For example, it offers private pods for women to pump breast milk at the event. But it doesnsa国际传媒檛 offer child care support, unlike the smaller Grace Hopper Celebration for Women in Computing conference, a fall event aimed at women in computer science.

Organizers note that children are not permitted at CES. Although kids are also banned from Grace Hopper, that conference still manages to offer free child care for attendees.

Still, Yuki is hopeful that CES is on the right track. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 a big conference,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淵ou can only turn a very big ship very slowly.sa国际传媒�

Associated Press Writer Joseph Pisani contributed to this story.

Barbara Ortutay, The Associated Press

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