It's only taboo in a business sense. No women I know have ever had an issue with my friends and I going on a "guys weekend" trip. Men to men is a very different

It's only taboo in a business sense. No women I know have ever had an issue with my friends and I going on a "guys weekend" trip. Men to men is a very different connection and we do things that just don't happen around wives and girlfriends - drinking, fishing, shooting things, etc. In the business world it's taboo because it would be seen as colluding against women and minorities. Historically (and even currently), business and politics have been dominated by white males, and that tends to give an advantage of familiarity and incumbency. Women-only, or minority-only conferences like these are a chance to balance the scales a little.