It is September 2005. People are lining up to see Wedding Crashers and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Anthony Callea’s The Prayer and Mariah Carey’s We Belong Together are battling it out for the number one spot on the music charts and Andre Agassi (in his last Grand Slam appearance) loses to Roger Federer at the US Open.
Amid all this is a young woman starting out her career. Armed with boundless enthusiasm, an inexplicable knowledge of musical theatre, some questionably high platform shoes and a waning South African accent, she is taking her first steps in the corporate world and thrilled at the prospect of finally finding out about this “9 to 5” gig that Dolly has been singing about all these years.
Her first few weeks are a whirlwind: the quintessential baptism by fire, filled with new people, foreign concepts, complex systems and an endless amount of discombobulating jargon. But soon enough she starts to find her groove and as she immerses herself into her new life as a full-time employee, an awareness begins to settle around her: while there are both men and women in her department, there are no women in positions of leadership. It is only the women who are asked to get coffees, take notes and organise catering. The men loudly and publicly comment on the outfits worn by the women in the office. The male head of department refers to the women as “chicks” in his communication.
Now, our intrepid heroine is no stranger to gender politics. As a Creative Arts student (no surprises there, right?) she has fervently studied the work of Butler, Kristeva, Halberstam and Hooks among others, but up until this collection of moments, she has never been so acutely aware of the suffocating stench of inequality. And so, she leaves the office and becomes a nomad, travelling the country selling handmade finger puppets to tourists….
Kidding! She decides to get loud.
More specifically, she pledges to use whatever power and platform(s) she has to change things in the place she works, and all the places she will work in the future.
Suffice to say, I am proud to have kept that promise to my 25-year-old self and, spurred on and supported by many incredible women (and men) over the past 18 years, have continued to create a more equitable and inclusive industry in whatever ways I can. In that time, I have been exhilarated with some of the inroads made and gleefully kept my eye on the glass ceiling as it has begun to crack, straining under the force of exceptional women hammering at it with passion and purpose.
In recent times, we have witnessed noteworthy changes to parental leave policies (increases to leave, inclusive of all genders and family constructs), the increase in and evolution of flexibility, greater access to part-time/job-share opportunities, stigma-shattering conversations about the impact of menopause on women in the workplace, and increased support from employers for those experiencing domestic and family violence.
I have also been buoyed to see the shift from merely supporting women in the workplace to actively promoting women, both literally and figurately. In particular, the rise of women in executive leadership has meant more distinct lived experience sitting at the ubiquitous “table” and is a contributing factor, along with other diverse representations in the workforce, to the commercial and cultural success of organisations. It is also a contributing factor on certain days to not thinking you are LOSING YOUR DAMN MIND, so this is where I must say a quick (indulgent) thank you to the extraordinary women of the QMS Media executive leadership team for their guidance, intelligence, resilience, and support. Equality has always been a team sport and I have the equivalent of Olympic champions on my side.
While all this progress is worth celebrating, it is important to note that women are expected to earn 14.1 per cent less than men per week which creates a $51.8 billion loss a year. That is why initiatives such as the proposed Workplace Gender Equality Amendment (Closing the Gender Pay Gap) Bill are so important. The new amendment seeks to promote transparency by mandating the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) to publish employer-level gender pay gap reports. If passed, it will herald a new era, one that accelerates employers’ commitments to gender equality and improves the work experience for countless women in Australia.
It’s hard to say whether that young woman in 2005 ever thought we’d be talking about public gender pay gap legislation. But then again, she never thought she’d see the Backstreet Boys live in concert after they broke up in 2006, so hope springs eternal.
One thing I do know is that she was, and continues to be, a proud member of the media industry who encourages you all to commit to accelerating women's equality, raise awareness about discrimination, and take meaningful action to drive gender parity through our respective organisations – on International Women’s Day, and every day thereafter.
Jodi Rosenthal is Head of People & Culture, QMS Media