A new Brisbane coworking space is marketing itself as an “innovative way to address male related social issues”. Their approach? Banning women from using the office space.

Nomadic Thinkers is a coworking space set to open this January. Marketed as a “healthy environment for men.” Apparently, its founders are apparently unaware that in the startup sector men are doing pretty okay. As of 2014, three in four startups in Australia are founded by men.

What’s even more insulting is that co-founder Samuel Monaghan claims the men-only space is a solution to domestic violence. “Happy, healthy men don’t hit their wives,” Monaghan explained, arguing that barring women from his office space would somehow address a crisis of domestic violence. If Nomadic Thinkers really care about addressing domestic violence, they’ll close the space and reroute their funding to support domestic violence shelters doing the real work to address this crucial issue.

Tell Nomadic Thinkers to shut down its sexist space and donate to domestic violence shelters.

Over the past few years, women-centered spaces have emerged to address the massive gender gap in Australia’s startup scene. But in a nation in which women make up only 32% of business operators, the country’s first men only coworking space is anything but progressive.

Homelessness Australia recently released a study showing that an additional $33.8 million in annual funding is needed to ensure women fleeing domestic violence have the support they need. With six venture capitalists reportedly sponsoring Nomadic Thinkers, that’s capital that could be going to domestic violence shelters in need.  

It’s ludicrous for this men-only coworking space to be taking up funding that could be supporting domestic violence shelters doing the real work of supporting women in need. Nomadic Thinkers needs to do more than shut down its sexist office space -- it needs to commit to donating to Australian domestic violence shelters in need.

Demand Nomadic Thinkers close its doors and reroute its funding to domestic violence shelters in need.