Leaving a #MeToo legacy
Anuja Nadkarni talks to Australia’s former sex discrimination watchdog about the #MeToo phenomenon.
Businesses need to be held accountable on a ongoing basis to sustain change from the #MeToo campaign, Australia’s former highprofile Sex Discrimination Commissioner says.
Liz Broderick said the #MeToo movement gave the world an opportunity to voice their stories and the conversation needed to continue, with the help of men.
‘‘We’re seeing changes from executives in the culture of their organisation. Also that young men understand it [the movement] better than older men and there’s a learning opportunity there,’’ Broderick said.
Graduating with a law degree in computer technology, and then appointed to the Australian Rugby Board, Broderick was no stranger to being in male dominated industries.
‘‘When I went into computer science, this was back in the late 70s, I felt like I was in alien territory. One of only two women in a class of over 120,’’ Broderick said.
But not much changed when she began working as a lawyer and still the number of female partners in the industry was not representative of the high influx of female law graduates.
‘‘In an unbalance environment it’s hard to be truly yourself. The model in professional industries prefers men, only because those institutions had been created by men.’’
She said the workplace system had been designed so that women could not work equally with men, an issue that became personal to her when she had her first child and was forced to make a decision on being an engaged mum high-flying businesswoman.
Broderick struck the right balance, by becoming the first parttime partner at her law firm 20 years ago.
‘‘To think some companies are still discussing about offering flexibility is outrageous. If you’re not offering flexible workplace you’re not a contemporary workplace and you won’t get there. Just so illogical,’’ she said.
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roderick was recently appointed by the UN as an independent expert and special rapporteur on the issue of discrimination against women in law.
But during her time as Australia’s longest-serving sex discrimination commissioner, she said the toughest challenge was getting people to engage in the case for change.
Getting men to see domestic violence as a workplace issue because it was a barrier for women in their jobs was also a challenge, she said.
But through the #MeToo movement, change had come among business leaders in how they set the tone for gender diversity, she said.
‘‘Any strategy on gender diversity needs to be double downed on by companies. And as we know, the change always begins from the top.
‘‘Leaders set the tone so all levels of the organisation know how to react and deal with abuse of power.’’
Broderick said at a UN conference in New York last week, New Zealand was applauded for having a pregnant Prime Minister.
‘‘New Zealanders are complacent but having a woman of child-bearing age continuing to hold senior roles is something women around the world can look up to.
‘‘The world is changing, we’re making inroads but at the same time we have to remember to sustain this, so much work still needs to be done.’’