“Was 2023 A Landmark Year for Women?” – Ellen Reading, Director, The 100% Project

“Was 2023 A Landmark Year for Women?” – Ellen Reading, Director, The 100% Project

2023 was a year where women showed up for each other and dominated the culture, adding significant contributions, economically and culturally. In Pop, Culture and Sport, around the globe we witnessed significant achievements.

Greta Gerwig emerged as the highest-grossing female director of all time, with the groundbreaking success of “Barbie”, a film that shattered box office records, raking in an impressive $1.4 billion. Margot and Greta’s collaborative efforts delivered cinematic greatness, complemented by America Ferrara’s powerful monologue, shedding light on the challenges women face in society. [1]

“It is literally impossible to be a woman…. I’m just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us.”

Locally, the Matildas and the FIFA Women’s World Cup showcased unprecedented success, with Tilly’s fever gripping the nation. The tournament set records for the highest attendance at a women’s sporting event, surpassing jersey sales of the FIFA men’s World Cup two-to-one and achieving record-breaking broadcast numbers. This triumph injected a substantial $7 billion boost into the economy through tourism and hospitality. The tournament firmly establishing the Matildas as beloved role models and advocates for women’s participation in sports. [2]

The ’Year of the Women’ was solidified by TIME magazine in their announcement of Taylor Swift as person of the year.

Swift’s Eras tour and film contributed significantly to the economy, generating around $3 billion in revenue in the USA and contributing $5.7 billion to the US economy. Her upcoming Australian tour is anticipated to contribute $220 million, further solidifying her influence as a storyteller, marketer, and musician. [3]

Despite these achievements in Pop, Culture and Sport, the representation of women in Corporate Australia remains an area that requires accelerated progress. While 2023 witnessed female appointments to top positions, the prevalence of the Glass Cliff theory, wherein women are appointed during times of crisis, underscores the challenges faced by women in leadership roles.

Vanessa Hudson’s assumption of the Qantas CEO role in September, during a turbulent period for the airline under Alan Joyce’s leadership, exemplified this phenomenon. Qantas had faced significant public criticism for delays, pricing issues, and controversies related to COVID-19 payments and high bonuses for board members.

Similarly, in September, Michele Bullock took on the role of Reserve Bank Governor amidst heightened scrutiny. The central bank had faced criticism for executing 12 rate increases since May 2022, contributing to a cost-of-living crisis that left many Australians struggling to meet their mortgage payments. The challenges confronting leaders like Hudson and Bullock highlighted the complexities and expectations placed on women assuming top roles during critical junctures.

Other female leaders appointed during turbulent times in 2023 include Kristen Stubbins (PwC), Stephanie Foster (Dept of Home Affairs), Jacinta Allen (Premier of Victoria) and Linda Yaccarino (X).

The 100% Project will release a research paper in 2024, exploring the Glass Cliff phenomenon and the importance of psychological safety for women leaders.

In the legislative arena, Australia took significant strides towards gender equality.

The Respect @ Work reforms, released in December 2023, mandated employers to proactively create a safe workplace culture free of discrimination and harassment.

From February 2024, changes to the WGEA reporting increased transparency on the gender pay gap in larger companies.

Additionally, the Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce unveiled a comprehensive 10-year plan in October, addressing barriers to women’s workplace participation, amounting to a calculated economic cost of $128 billion.

Finally, in December, the Federal government announced a Senate inquiry into the impact of menopause, recognising the need for comprehensive understanding and support in this area.

Despite all of the gains, domestic violence against women is at an all-time high, the gender gap remains at 21.7% and it’s still going to take 26 years to achieve gender equality in Australia, let alone the world.

As we move ahead with 2024, let’s celebrate the steps forward that were made, the outcries about the steps backward and the continued commitment, resilience, and a future where women’s achievements are seamlessly woven into our collective success.

 

 

Footnotes:

1. Greta and Margot were since passed over for an Oscar nomination while the male lead, Ryan Gosling was nominated.

2. The tournament generated Spain’s “me-too” moment when Luis Rubiales (Football Federation President) was fired for kissing one of the World Cup winners, Jenni Hermoso, on the lips without consent.

3. Taylor has recently been the victim of graphic AI generated deepfake images on social media.

Unwrapping Gender Stereotypes: The Festive Season and Gender Inequality

Gender stereotypes are a pervasive aspect of our society, perpetuating gender inequality in various spheres of life. During the festive season, these stereotypes often become more pronounced, affecting all genders.

In the words of Brené Brown, a renowned scholar and researcher, “When we silence our stories and disengage from tough conversations, we confirm the stereotypes about power and gender. But when we dare to share our stories and engage in real dialogue, we challenge these stereotypes and create a more inclusive, equitable world”.

Why Gender Stereotypes Flourish During the Festive Season.

The festive season, with its traditions and customs, tends to reinforce gender stereotypes. Societal expectations have long dictated what roles men and women should play during this time. For instance, women are often expected to take charge of holiday preparations, including cooking, decorating, gift purchasing, and gift-wrapping. Meanwhile, men might be encouraged to handle tasks related to outdoor activities or setting up the Christmas tree. These stereotypes are perpetuated through various mediums, including advertisements, movies, and even greeting cards, which often depict women as nurturing and men as providers. This amplification of traditional roles during the festive season can make it challenging to break free from gender norms.

Reimagining Your Role This Season

The 100% Project encourages individuals to reconsider the roles they play during the festive season. By asking themselves a few key questions, they can begin to challenge these stereotypes:

  1. Am I expected to do this? Reflect on the tasks you’re assigned and consider whether they align with your interests and abilities.
  2. Where is my agency and choices? Recognise your agency to make choices that go beyond traditional roles and embrace activities you genuinely enjoy.
  3. How are these tasks perceived? Challenge the societal perception of tasks typically associated with your gender and recognise that these stereotypes limit your potential.
  4. If you’re a parent of young children, consider whether the gifts you’re giving them are what they really want, or what you think is appropriate based on their gender.

Examples of Gender Roles in Stereotypes

Examples of gender roles perpetuated during the festive season include:

  • Women primarily responsible for gift purchasing and wrapping.
  • Women primarily responsible for cooking and preparing meals.
  • Men as the designated outdoor decorators.
  • The expectation that women are more focused on nurturing and caring for children.
  • Men doing the outside cooking (BBQing), women the inside.

Addressing Gender Stereotypes at Christmas

To address gender stereotypes during the festive season, start conversations with family and friends about the expectations placed on individuals based on their gender. Encourage open dialogue about how these stereotypes limit personal growth and reinforce inequality. Furthermore, make an effort to share the responsibilities and encourage everyone to participate in tasks traditionally associated with the opposite gender.

The festive season should be a time of joy, love, and togetherness, free from the constraints of gender stereotypes. By reimagining our roles and encouraging open conversations, we can work towards a more equal and inclusive celebration that empowers everyone to fully participate. It’s time to unwrap these stereotypes and make room for a brighter and more equitable future for all.

“You can’t be, what you can’t see” – Jane Hill, Co-Chair, The 100% Project

It’s a common statement and one I relate to. I wanted to be a pilot when I was young but couldn’t see (m)any female pilots. It still sparks joy when I hear a female voice share the flight plan. This statement continues to ring true. It’s International Men’s Day on Nov 19 and I’m reminded that the majority of new fathers don’t take extended parental leave, even when available, because “they can’t be, what they can’t see”. They say they’re concerned about the negative impact on their career but as a result, they miss out on time with their child, their child misses out on bonding with their father and their female* partner misses out because, often, she’s required to take a longer career break, impacting her skills and income. The economic, social, and organisational benefits of both parents taking parental leave are well documented. In October, the Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce (WEET) released its 10-year plan. One data point showed the trajectory of the average 25-year-old woman. If she has at least one child, and if current working patterns continue, this woman can expect to earn $2 million less over her lifetime than the average 25 year-old man who becomes a father! WEET estimated Australia stands to gain $128 billion from unlocking women’s full and equal economic participation.

In 2021, The 100% Project released research entitled “Breaking Dad“**, which explored the importance of a psychologically safe workplace so fathers felt empowered to take parental leave. That year, I recorded a podcast*** with Rose HercegWPP President, AUNZ, one of the world’s biggest advertising agency group. We discussed WPP’s approach to parental leave and the communications industry role in breaking down gender stereotypes and parenting tropes.

The 100% Project and INNOCEAN have embarked on a research project to explore the hypothesis that media content portraying traditional gender archetypes is contributing to the snail-like progress of gender equality. Hopefully, the next generation will never hear the statement “you can’t be, what you can’t see” as gender equality will exist in their family, their community, their organisation and in the content they consume.

*I’ve assumed a traditional heterosexual relationship, but of course many types of families exist.
** If you would like to read the research, visit https://the100percentproject.com.au/research/ to download a copy.
*** You are welcome to listen to the podcast.

Why we need research to achieve gender equality

After over 20 years as a researcher, I still have to constantly sell the value of research, particularly when it comes to research on gender and the workplace. Here are some of the reasons I have received when the value of my research on gender has been questioned:

  1. Don’t we have gender equality?
  2. Women have already come so far, what else needs to be said?
  3. In my experience (insert individual contradictory personal story)…
  4. What about (insert opinion that has been disproven with empirical research)…
  5. I don’t know what to do about it.
  6. So what?
  7. Who cares?

And so on…

My PhD was on gender and leadership and today I am the Director of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Research Alliance. So I am qualified to say the following:

  1. No, we have not achieved gender equality. Only 22.3% of Australia’s CEOs are women. 22.3% of boards are all men. Research, evidence and data tells us this. Please visit the Workplace Gender Equality Agency for more statistics.
  2. Indeed, the gender quality agenda has achieved significant outcomes over the years. However, as research and evidence tells us, there is still a long way to go, particularly for intersectional equality. Without research we would not be able to really show both how far we have come and how far we have to go; as well as what needs to be done to advance the agenda.
  3. There are many diverse experiences of women, men and non-binary individuals in the world of work. Not everyone experiences the same degrees of disadvantage. We need to acknowledge our privilege and research helps us do this by providing us with more objective frameworks to contextualise our experiences.
  4. Similarly, it is important to acknowledge people’s opinions but, in the world of work, evidence-based decision-making should be prioritised. If your opinion differs from fact, evidence, data and statistics, let’s use these opportunities to learn and grow.
  5. The good news is that there is a lot of research out there that provides evidence-based recommendations on how you can be an advocate, ally and trailblazer. The 100% Project, is a great place to start to access practical and concise research on the topic of gender equality.
  6. Research has undoubtedly proven the benefits of equality, diversity and inclusion for all workplaces. Benefits are for the individuals and the organisation. But, most importantly, it is the right thing to do.
  7. We do. The 100% Project will never stop caring and neither will I.

Here’s to another 20 years of research and also, here’s hoping I can devote more energy to research and less time having to sell it.

 

Dr. Andrea North-Samardzic
Women’s Entrepreneurship Research Alliance
Deakin University

Adaptive leadership – the antithesis of ‘just getting on with things’ – David Turnbull, Co-Chair, The 100% Project

We’re mid-way through the year. International Women’s Day (IWD) came and went, again. We’re getting on with things. We always do, regardless. However, this year I think that, for many of us, ‘getting on with things’ means much more than that. We’ve come through a pandemic, at least in terms of lockdowns and vaccinations, dealt with horrendous floods and bushfires, all of which have so much recovery work going on that we might not be fully aware of the long term consequences, especially for those directly affected. Work that could take years to complete; perhaps never for some people who will be dealing with the mental anguish of all this. We shouldn’t make light of this or forget the trauma caused by what has happened. But then the news changes to more daily occurrences. We fall into line and get on with things. And so it goes on.

It’s good to reflect mid-way through a year on what has been achieved, personal or business. Recent media reports I’ve seen of CEO thoughts for 2023 indicate pretty much the same issues that all CEOs will be losing sleep over, with the added tensions over climate change and related environment, sustainability and governance (ESG) issues, inflation, interest rates, rising costs, energy security, macro-economic complexities brought about due to the war in Ukraine, managing the relationship with China, and what globalisation means today in terms of supply chain management. All in a CEO’s day’s work I hear you say. And so it goes on.

‘And so it goes on’ is simplistic and my concern is that, while CEOs are dealing with the day-to-day challenges, gender equality issues we have been wrestling with for too long will get pushed down – or even off – the leadership team and/or board-room agenda (we’re ‘just getting on with that’, aren’t we?). I hope not. If anything, the Covid pandemic has brought to the fore our wellbeing and how we would like to work more flexibly. It has shone a brighter light on gender roles and the so-called gender norms and stereotypes by which we still live. We have seen a raft of media posts from businesses putting in place new or updated parental leave terms and conditions. I suspect this is a coincidence of the Covid pandemic because, as we know, the fight for equality on parental leave has been decades long.

The 100% Project research on this entitled ‘Breaking Dad‘, which looks at psychological safety in the workplace for men, has been met with excellent reviews. Our podcast with Justin Untersteiner, COO at AFCA highlights the need for and benefits of gender equality and workplace equality and flexibility.

There may be push-back in some quarters on this, some of which is centred around views about company culture. Much of this may depend on the type of leader in question. A new leader to an organisation in which I worked some years ago recognised that the culture needed changing in many ways. The call went out to ‘just do it’; to change what needed changing to ensure we were representative of society, to achieve our goals without being burdened by outmoded thought and operational processes. We did it. We broke free from the traditional view of leadership resting with people in positions of power and the need for one type of leadership that fits all situations. Devolution of power out to the business was paramount in this and in our dealing with adaptive challenges. This was adaptive leadership in its true form and we placed out trust in it and, by extension, our leaders.

Adaptive leadership doesn’t always appear on a search of leadership styles, which may be why we are still talking about gender equality, because leaders aren’t brave enough or adaptive at making the changes we need to achieve full gender equality. My daughter leaves university in a couple of years and I want her to be part of a truly equal society.

The recent WGEA Scorecard 2022: The state of gender equality in Australia noted that, inter alia:

“Australia’s gender pay gap is 22.8%. Women, on average earn, $26,596 less than men each year. Men are twice as likely to be in the top earning bracket and women are 1.5 times more likely to be in the lowest. Every single industry in Australia has a gender pay gap that favours men. And the gender pay gap has increased in eight industries this year.

(Only) 22.3% of CEOS are women. Only 20% of boards have gender balance. 22.3% of boards are ALL men.”

What is Adaptive Leadership?

Adaptive leadership is a framework and set of tools and techniques for leading change during times of transition, uncertainty and possibility. It was developed over 40+ years at Harvard by Drs. Ron Heifetz and Marty Linsky – and further refined and expanded by Alexander Grashow and Eric Martin. Its core principles are based on leaders being able to adapt and grow, learning and evolving their beliefs; engaging diverse perspectives and tapping into the collective intelligence of their teams; diagnosing the system and root causes not just the symptoms; mobilise for change and inspire and empower others to take action and be brave enough to experiment, embrace uncertainty as an opportunity for innovation.

The Call to Action is this. Don’t be reactive. Don’t just get on with things, lead. Just do it. More research from The 100% Project, this time on Adaptive Leadership acknowledges that ‘Adaptive Challenges’ are uncomfortable for people and organisations to confront because they often encroach on the values and beliefs we hold deeply. They can upset the status quo. And yet the status quo is unequal, and that is unacceptable. These challenges require us to become aware of and be open to change our values and beliefs. Gender inequality is an adaptive challenge. Addressing it in an organisation requires changing: organisational culture, business strategy, policies, procedures, practices, systems and employee mindset. Many people in the organisation may not be consciously aware of their values and beliefs regarding gender equality, equity and the influence these have on their behaviour. Therefore, changes in this context can be hard to manifest. Don’t delay on this. Just do it.

Which leaders are going to be adaptive and ensure their business meets these challenges?

The 100% Project will continue to ask these and other questions on the journey to a truly gender-balanced future in the Australian workplace.

The 100% Project is happy to share our research on adaptive leadership and psychological safety in the workplace as it relates to gender equality. Please get in touch with me or my Co-Chair, Jane Hill if this is of interest.

Nobody loses in the move towards gender equality – Allan Ball, Director, White Ribbon Australia

The link between gender inequality and family and domestic violence is not a zero-sum proposition. Nobody loses in the move towards gender equality and those who seek to erode its progress are speaking from a place of fear, anxiety, shame, or misinformation.

In recent months, we’ve seen many discussions around Grace Tame,  Brittany Higgins, and Lisa Wilkinson, much of it deriding them based on gendered expectations of male entitlement and how women ‘should’ behave.

In Australia, all genders are set to benefit, if all genders are afforded the equality right now, the sex listed on your birth certificate determines far more about your life journey than it should.

Australia has its collective head buried in the sand, and is failing to really look at or comprehend the total effect of gender inequality. Some work is being done on gender equality, but we need to speed this up.

Violence against intimate partners is one of these effects. Traditional notions about what it is to be a man and bad role models in the form of fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and other male caregivers are some of the root causes of men’s violence towards women and children alongside gender inequality.

Gender inequality is a constructed burden on Australian women that positions them below the gender pay gap, restricts them to certain roles, and ultimately limits opportunity. It also puts men in a box they can’t think or step outside of in fear of being ostracised for not being a ‘real man’.

Men want to be part of the solution to gender inequality. We know things won’t change unless men are heard on the issue.

As a society, we’ve allowed the underlying drivers of violence and disrespect to take root and become normalised. That (slightly) sexist joke; that banter between the blokes about a female colleague; talking over the top of a woman just because you can, or using opportunities for career advancement – they have all contributed to making Australia an unsafe and unequal community for women.

The results of the last Global Institute for Women’s Leadership Survey revealed that 30 per cent of Australian men believe “women who say that they were abused often make up or exaggerate claims of abuse or rape”.

In addition, Australia was second highest in the world, just behind Malaysia, when asked if it was acceptable to use sexist or misogynistic language online, with 14 per cent saying it was okay. The global average was eight per cent.

The report needs to serve as a national mirror, reflecting what Australian women have known to be true for decades. Is this a reality that Australian men can accept? Not me.

The ‘Aussie Bloke’ should be doing more to change these unacceptable set of statistics and shrink the gender equality gap. The key to making this happen is an urgent investment in primary prevention strategies to give men the education, tools and opportunities to get involved.

We know the discussion around women’s safety and gender equality can make some men uncomfortable, but discomfort doesn’t compare to living in fear of losing your life or livelihood. It isn’t nearly as crushing as the weight of feeling unsafe to walk down the street or catch a taxi alone. Unsafe to speak out about sexual harassment in the workplace. Unsafe with a phone being tracked.

It’s fine for males to be apprehensive about this topic; these are the times when we learn the most. Lean in to the discomfort, participate in the discussion, listen, learn, make errors, get back up, and keep going until you are confident in your ability to contribute to the change.

All of us have a responsibility to shift the gender-based attitudes and social practices that perpetuate violence and disrespect against women.

We can’t go on as a culture that tolerates disrespect, sexual harassment, assault, and rigid gender standards and power structures. It’s past time for us to band together behind broad-based initiatives, rethink our attitudes towards abuse and violence, and acknowledge that gender inequality exists and that males continue to gain from it.

We know the solutions, and at the very least, we need to:

  • Challenge gender norms and behaviours in our workplaces.
  • Re-write the experiences in our communities around gender roles and expectations.
  • Understand the impact of our behaviours on children – they pick-up everything we say and do.
  • Share the burden at home; my grandmother always taught me there are no boy jobs or girl jobs, just jobs, and the only thing that matters is doing them well.

The time is here to share the load, shift the burden and break free of our gender cage, because we know men’s violence and disrespect towards women feeds off gender inequality.

I don’t hire for gender; I hire for the best person – Jane Hill, Co-Chair, The 100% Project

I hear and read this regularly and I believe it demonstrates a lack of awareness around how to build the best team that will deliver the strongest results. It’s particularly frustrating when the team already looks the same (gender, cultural background, experience) and the leader is still unwilling to take a chance with even one person who “looks” different despite evidence that teams with a better gender balance lead to higher levels of innovation. (The Mix that Matters, BCG, 2017). McKinsey also found that teams with more than 30% women are more likely to outperform those where this percentage ranged from 10% to 30%, and more likely to outperform those with even fewer women. (Diversity Wins, 2020).

A follow up question is often, why do we focus on gender vs. other forms of diversity such as cultural? My answer is simple. Women make up 50% of the population. So why wouldn’t you start fishing where the fish are? Of course, we should also be appointing people with diverse cultural backgrounds, again highly correlated with increased levels of innovation.

Here’s another fact…if there’s only one woman in your candidate pool, there’s statistically no chance she’ll be hired. (HBR, 2016). Yes, this means it might take longer to build a short list of candidates who represent the general population. I acknowledge in some industries that’s harder than others. But isn’t our job as leaders to deliver the best results and build a high performing team? So why aren’t we doing everything we can to do that? As Einstein said, “We can’t solve problems using the same kind of thinking that caused them.”

Having worked in Marketing, Sales and People & Culture across multiple organisations with market share, revenue and EBIT targets; I still see a general unwillingness by many businesses to set gender targets, despite the evidence that gender balanced teams are more innovative, businesses more profitable and cultures more inclusive – attracting & retaining the best people. There’s a concern that the best person might not be appointed if gender targets exist, versus acknowledging that bias exists and despite women making up 50% of the population and over 50% of the graduate population, when it comes to hiring, unconscious or conscious bias kicks in and we get nowhere near equality. If we truly believe in meritocracy, we must also believe in gender equality.

In an ideal world, targets or quotas would not be necessary. In an ideal world, a true meritocracy, the most talented people would be appointed, and that would automatically mean gender equality. However unconscious or conscious bias has landed us where we are today and targets or quotas may be the only way of achieving equality and eventually, a world where quotas are obsolete.

My challenge: Next time you are recruiting, ensure your short list and interview panel is gender balanced.

How can we make women see the senior roles as achievable and encourage more women into them?

A survey conducted by Pew Research Centre lists several areas where women are stronger in key areas of business. Survey respondents noted that women are:

–              34% better at working out compromises

–              34% more likely to be honest and ethical

–              30% more likely to provide fair pay and benefits

–              25% better at mentoring

 

However, gender equality remains a major issue the corporate world. Despite an abundance of research confirming that companies with more women in the C-Suite are more profitable, there is still a gender gap in the vast majority of companies. Women remain significantly underrepresented in the corporate pipeline, with fewer women than men hired at entry level, and representation declining further at every subsequent step.

 

Since we know having more women at senior level will result in a win-win situation, how can we make women see the senior roles as achievable and encourage more women into them?

 

There are a number of ways, the first one is to shout about women’s successes. Women can be modest when it comes to shouting about their success. Though modesty is often seen as a good trait, women must be more vocal about their own successes. Not only does it help to make their superiors aware of their competency and ability to do the job, it also encourages other women to do the same; whether promoting themselves or their female colleagues.

 

Why does this matter? It matters a lot because no one gets to the corner office by sitting on the side, not at the table, and no one gets the promotion if they don’t think they deserve their successes, or they don’t even understand their own successes.

 

Apart from that, enabling opportunities for female staff to access and meet female role models helps to create a positive support network. I met my first mentor in a female leadership community, over there, I found there were a lot of female leaders who face the same problem as I did. Organizations should promote female industry networks, to create a space for women to meet, engage and inspire one another.

 

Furthermore, women need to be more confident and willing to take more risks. A report revealed that women only applied for promotions if they believed they met 100% of the qualifications listed for the job, whereas men applied for a role if they believed they met 60% of the requirements. This seems to highlight women’s lack of confidence in putting themselves forward for promotions and senior roles. Unfortunately, many women underestimate their abilities, and also their competence to learn new skills while working in a role.

 

In the first few years of my career, I worked hard but I always hesitated to ask for a pay rise from the employer, or hesitated to provide my true feedback about what I did and what I expected. That also happened when I looked for jobs which the job duties were not 100% of what I did in the past.  I believe this happened to a lot of women too. This could result in the fact that jobs they could apply, especially when they are in senior positions, are very limited as they narrow the range of the jobs by themselves. It is important that employers engage with female staff to help boost their self-belief. This will ensure that more women are confident in their own qualifications and assured enough to apply for these senior roles.

 

 

References:

 

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/04/business-case-for-diversity-in-the-workplace/

https://www.worldfinance.com/strategy/top-5-ways-to-encourage-more-women-into-senior-finance-roles

People Measures Present: WILD (Women In Leadership Development)

Why I Got off the Gender Equality Bench and What I am Doing About It

It’s Friday night, and I am having dinner over at one of my closest friend’s apartment. Over a bowl of ravioli and a bottle of Pinot, she discusses how things are going at the clinic where she works, and I give her the latest update of life at placement. It was during our second glass that her phone rang, she hesitated but I reassured her that I did not mind if she picked up. She put it on speaker and after a short exchange of pleasantries her friend on the other line said, “Ok I’m at my car now, I’ll speak to you tomorrow, goodnight!” I was confused and sought further clarification, “why did she just call you to talk about nothing much and then hang up when she got to her car?”

This question sparked a conversation that both horrified and intrigued me. My friend disclosed all the strategies she and her friends employ, especially on a night out, to keep themselves safe. There was calling each other while walking to their cars, there was also giving the Uber driver the address three doors down, so he would not know where you lived, and there was crossing the street if someone was walking that little too close to you (just to name a few). As she talked about changes in behaviour needed to ensure safety, I could sense that she knew that these routines are so remote to me. Instead, I talked about how I have no apprehension of putting on my noise cancelling headphones and walking through the park at night on the way home from work, something I know she felt that she could never do.

I have had the privilege of having both men and women in my life, both in a personal and professional context, that have supported me in building a robust value and thought system. A system that allows me to be more open to new ways of thinking and gives me an ability to critically evaluate issues from a multitude of perspectives. Although, I do not, and likely never will, completely understand the experiences of women. I am grateful that through this support, I have a capacity to at least appreciate and sympathise with the reality of the female experience.

However, as I continue to expand my knowledge and grow to understand the many challenges faced by women, the more I grapple with a sense of discomfort that this is not enough. That is, simply gaining a better awareness of an issue will not help to turn the dial in any significant way. Through reflection, it has become apparent to me that it is not enough for me to sit on the side-lines and watch, and that the only alternative is to get off the bench and join the game by stepping into the arena.

But where do I start? There are so many open positions for me to play, how do I know that I can make a significant change in that arena? I am currently studying to become an organisational psychologist, so it was a natural transition for me to begin by becoming involved in contributing to the improved experiences for women at work.

Through my formal education, my placements, and increased engagement with the business world, I once again became more aware of the significant roadblocks women face not only at work but also how that then impacts them socially and financially. But then I once again found myself stuck, stuck in the thought that this is such a high mountain to climb and how can I contribute to significant change. Then through my placement at People Measures I was told about The 100% Project (www.the100percentproject.com.au) and its research committee.

They say if you want to make meaningful changes you need to “think global, act local”, and for myself the research committee was where I could make a “local” impact. The research committee of The 100% Project provided me with an avenue where I could leverage the research skills and training, I had developed through my tertiary education with a group of diverse and driven individuals working towards a worthy vision, one that wants to see “100% of Australia’s leadership potential, female and male, equally contributing to our social and economic future”.

Any research and knowledge we can generate obtain as a research committee, which can then be shared with those in the business community, can create an impact on the advancement of women both in and outside of the work context. Through evidence and knowledge attainment, we have an opportunity to influence the ways in which organisations operate. It is hoped that through our research we are able to positively impact the culture, values, and behaviour of organisations to improve both the male and female experience at work.

Additionally, we all know that our experiences at work which build our values and our perceptions of the world are not left at our desks but more often than not carry over into our personal lives. Therefore, if our research can stretch the way employees think about their colleagues and themselves, influence middle management and their behaviour, and guide the policies and procedures of the C-suite we can make a real difference, at work as well as in the broader community.

After dinner I hugged my friend goodbye and walking in the night, I reflected on the fact that I did not feel the need to reach for my phone. When I got home, I texted her and thanked her for dinner but also for the conversation we shared. I believe these conversations between men and women where we can exchange our experiences and build a better understanding of what life is like for the opposite gender is a significant first step in shifting the dial. And I am grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of that.

-Nathan Sciulli, Author & Member of The 100% Project Research Committee

www.the100percentproject.com.au