Addressing Violence Against Women: A Call to Action for Workplace Equality in Australia

Imagine waking up every four days to the news of another woman's life brutally taken in Australia. This is the grim reality of violence against women in 2024.

There is an epidemic in Australia: violence against women. At the time of writing, 32 women died violently in Australia in 2024 (SOURCE: Counting Dead Women Australia researchers of Destroy The Joint). There has been almost one woman murdered violently every four days in 2024.

Attitudes Towards Women

In 2015, former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said,

‍"Violence against women is one of the great shame of Australia. It is a national disgrace." He also said, "Let me say this to you: disrespecting women does not always result in violence against women. But all violence against women begins with disrespecting women."

At that time, 2 women per week, on average, were losing their lives to violence by a current or former partner.

In 2024, Julia Gillard said global progress on gender equality is "glacial and slow", as she warned that it is going backwards among young people.

Gillard cited recent polling by King's College London's Global Institute for Women's Leadership, which showed that 51% of respondents believe men do too much to support gender equality. In comparison, 46% think that men are now discriminated against.

She told the Hay Festival that the most surprising and unexpected differences are seen according to age. Sixty percent of men aged 16-27 believe that "women's equality has gone too far," which is higher than any other age group's percentage. Gen Z is more than twice as likely as boomers to agree that "a man who stays home with his children is less of a man."

The attitudes expressed are very concerning and indicate that we still have a long way to go in addressing gender inequality in Australia. These attitudes contribute to disrespect and violence against women, undermine women's leadership, reinforce rigid gender roles, limit women's personal autonomy, normalise sexism, and deny that gender inequality is an issue. Recognising that these attitudes can also manifest in the workplace is essential.

The Gender Gap at Work

Gender inequality exists in many forms in Australia, and the impact of violence against women is seen (and felt) in workplaces. Gender inequality affects many aspects of a worker's life.

Some examples of gender inequality in the workplace are:

• The gender pay gap. On average, women in Australia are paid $26,400 less than men a year.
• The Leadership Gender Gap: need for more women in leadership roles. Women remain under-represented in senior positions, holding just 19% of chair positions and 34% of board memberships, representing 22% of CEOs and 37% of key management personnel.
• The Unpaid Work Gap: Women of all ages spend over 9 hours a week more than men on unpaid work and care (31.6 hours for women compared to 22.4 hours for men).

When advising organisations, I recommend that their workplace DEI strategy and implementation plan overtly include goals, actions, and measures to create gender equality, a significant enabler of a safe workplace for women.

What Employers and Managers Must Do

Workplace managers need to recognise that her workplace may be the only safe space she has when she is experiencing abuse and violence in her home.

According to the Australian Human Rights Commission, every workplace can make a significant difference to the safety and well-being of victims of domestic violence and their co-workers by:

1. Introducing clauses into Enterprise Agreements
2. Developing a policy addressing domestic violence
3. Developing procedures for implementation
4. Providing training (especially to managers!)
5. Communicating regularly to all stakeholders
6. Creating accountability frameworks for abusers who work in the organisation

I learned some time ago that there are three critical steps to better supporting victims of violence. I want all managers, colleagues, and organisations to know what to do.

1. Recognise when a team member may be experiencing violence.
   1. According to 1800Respect.org, team members who are experiencing domestic, family or sexual violence may show signs of:
      1. distraction
      2. distress (for example, crying)
      3. depression
      4. anxiety
      5. hypervigilance
      6. Fear.
   2. They may be having trouble concentrating at work or managing deadlines. They may require time off work to obtain protection orders or access support to keep themselves and their children safe.
2. Respond appropriately to her. Learn how to do this through specialised resources for managers.
3. Refer her to the most appropriate source of assistance. Support Services.

3 Ways I Will Help  

1. For women:  If you are experiencing violence, please know that I am a safe person to have a confidential conversation with and to offer you support.
2. For men: I am available for men who want to have a confidential, educational, "without judgment" conversation with me about how to be a better active ally.
3. For organisations: Of course, I want to continue guiding organisations to develop and implement DEI strategies that close the gender inequality gap.

Ending violence against women is not just a women's issue; it's a societal imperative that requires everyone's commitment and action. Therefore, I encourage organisations, managers and colleagues to take action today.

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