Remember this? It was only earlier this year that a Victorian Member of Parliament Georgie Purcell had her image doctored to expose her midriff.
Ms Purcell called out Nine News for editing the image to make her breasts look bigger and her dress more revealing. She told The Guardian that this sends a message “to young women and girls across Victoria is that even at the top of your field, your body is always up for grabs.”
Media and advertising companies don’t get away with as much as they used to when it comes to sexualising or stereotyping women. But have they changed enough?
Community attitudes are changing and many companies are out of step
A lot has changed in recent times. We are now seeing different shapes, sizes, ages and ethnicities among the models and actors who help companies sell their products and services.
By representing more realistic and respectful images on billboards and TV, we can work towards eliminating the stereotypes that have limited women’s life and career choices.
But sexist imagery still exists. Everywhere we look.
Advertising can negatively affect men too, by creating scenarios that limit men by stereotyping them as strong, powerful, or dismissive of women. Think gambling, sports, car or beer ads.
When people carry stereotyped views into the workplace, it creates a hostile environment for many workers.
But how do gender stereotypes affect my workplace?
When companies use stereotyped imagery of women to sell their products and services, it creates restrictive, and often negative, perceptions about the role women play – at work and in the community.
We already know unrealistic beauty standards have a negative effect on mental health and women’s self-esteem, especially for young women.
But, sexualised and stereotyped images also promote harmful attitudes and discrimination against women, by creating an expectation that women will behave a certain way and are only suitable for certain types of jobs.
When women (unsurprisingly) don’t fit into these narrow boxes , some men feel threatened and hostile towards them and may react with harassment and bullying.
In Australia, hard-fought law reform by unions has made employers responsible for preventing workplace sexual harassment. This includes a responsibility to create an inclusive environment at work, where every worker feels safe and respected.
How a hostile work environment promotes sexual harassment
Let’s say your workplace has images of women in swimming suits or underwear displayed on the walls. Or a collection of ‘men’s magazines’ lives on the coffee table.
Or you might be one of the only women working in a male-dominated workplace.
How does this affect your workdays? Do you think the women at your workplace are taken as seriously as their male co-workers? Does your employer let sexist remarks pass?
It only takes one suggestive comment or look for someone to feel uncomfortable or unwelcome at work.
“We didn’t expect it to be like this,
but it happened.”
UWU Member ‘Lia’ from Perfection Fresh
Some experts say Australia’s workplace laws don’t go far enough because they don’t take into account how community attitudes affect behaviour at work.
Unfortunately, if you’re also First Nations, a person of colour, a migrant, LGBTIQ+ or living with a disability, your chances of discrimination or being harassed increase.
How our UWU comrades have stood up to gendered violence at work
One extreme case of alleged sexual harassment from this year involved UWU members from Perfection Fresh.
These seasonal workers are our UWU comrades, mostly from Vanuatu, who spoke out bravely about alleged sexual harassment and discrimination.
These workers say they were continually sexually harassed while picking and packaging produce in South Australia for one of Australia’s biggest fruit and vegetable growers. They are seeking $4 million in damages.
The company claims they acted speedily to remove the perpetrators, but new laws require bosses to prevent harassment, not simply respond after the fact.
Some of these brave women spoke to ABC Pacific about their experience.
“We looked up to our bosses and management and everybody up the hierarchy, we expected to have some protection.
“But when we were in Australia, when this harassment was taking place … most of the women were scared.
“We didn’t expect it to be like this, but it happened.”
UWU Farm Sector Director Caterina Cinanni says the support workers can offer each other through unionising is a powerful tool against sexual harassment.
“Job security and the right to speak up and support each other in this environment are key factors in eliminating sexual harassment and gendered workplace violence,” Ms Cinanni said.
In another win for our UWU members, Turosi Farms has been ordered to renovate toilets to provide farm workers with hygienic facilities that offer privacy for their female workers.
These actions taken by our UWU comrades remind us that respect at work is just as important as fair wages. Our UWU farm workers are leaders in the fight to end gendered violence in the workplace.
So, what should your employer do?
Some workplaces have a culture of silence that protects perpetrators of sexual harassment and undermines the victims.
There are many ways bosses can ensure workplaces are safe and inclusive. Here are some:
> Review marketing materials and internal communications for sexist imagery and unconscious bias – do they promote gender equality?
> Address power imbalances in the workplace.
> Eliminate insecure and precarious work arrangements.
> Make work health and safety education mandatory and accessible.
> Ensure union access and representation.
What can you do?
If you think the culture at your workplace is sexist, and you find that it’s a hostile work environment for some or all of your co-workers, there are things you can do to improve the situation – for yourself and everyone else.
When you experience sexism at work, it’s highly likely others have too. The best thing you can do is talk to your co-workers and see if they feel the same way. Joining with co-workers to address problems at work is the simplest and most powerful approach to change.
Some of our UWU farm workers have had to fight for basic respect, but change was only made possible when workers came together to challenge their conditions.
By speaking out, women workers have succeeded in creating safer and fairer workplaces. But, there’s still a lot of change that needs to happen in workplaces across Australia.
Sexist behaviour should never be tolerated. We want to change our workplaces for the better. By joining and working together with your union, we can achieve safety, equality and respect in our workplaces.
