\n\t\t\t\t2. Sexual harassment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n One in three women have experienced sexual harassment at work. However, 54% would be more willing to speak up about that than they were five years ago and 35% just as willing; only 4% would not feel like they could speak up at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve seen a major shift in recent years \u2013 the #MeToo movement has provided powerful voices saying \u2018this is not okay\u2019 and showing women that standing up for themselves and others is possible \u2013 and that it\u2019s essential and empowering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Women feel like they could speak out about it now, and I think that’s amazing. The more than we can talk about this stuff, put it on the table and say, \u2018This is real and this is happening. These are the kind of behaviors that we just will not accept in our organisation, we will not condone\u2019, the more people will feel like they can speak up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Again, it comes back to education. If you’re not educating people and you’re not setting the tone for what’s okay and what’s not okay, then people will continue to push and push.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And that\u2019s why I think that the education on language is so important as well as education about harassment, because everyday sexism sets a tone. If someone’s speaking a certain way or using sexist or derogatory terms, if they are waiting for women to serve the lunch at meetings, and if they continue to get away with it, that tells the whole organisation that their behaviour is acceptable. It lowers the bar when the bar should be raised, and opens the door to worse behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Allyship is also part of the solution here, and 75% of women say they have an ally at work who could speak up on their behalf if they experienced harassment \u2013 as Dig Howitt said in the World Tour panel launching this research, there\u2019s nothing wrong with embarrassing people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don’t think everyday sexism is always malicious or conscious, but maybe it’s just no one’s really calling this stuff out \u2013 if we do, I really hope it will help with bigger issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Domestic violence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n A staggering 63% of women say domestic violence is one of the biggest problems affecting women in Australia today. That statistic was probably the one that scared me the most \u2013 I think it’s a terrible indictment on our society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But with domestic violence being the single biggest killer of women in the country, frankly I\u2019m surprised in another way it isn\u2019t ranked more highly. The issue is really concerning, and while it\u2019s a societal issue rather than one directly linked to organisations, it needs attention from employers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A number of the leadership team here, including myself, feel really strongly about this, and we\u2019ve implemented a local policy on supporting those experiencing domestic violence. Part of that is allowing them the space and time off to access support services, find safety and deal with the fallout of their relationship breaking down in such a difficult way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So organisations need to provide the space, but they have to do it in a sensitive way. Talking about it is hard. Women don\u2019t necessarily want to tell their employer and have to lay it all out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Women need to be able to say, \u201cI\u2019m having some challenges and I need some space\u201d, and be met halfway by an employer who has a policy of providing that space, so that leaders know what to do. This is a great first step in the right direction I think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other things that I’m starting to see are short-term loans and short-term housing \u2013 the provision of resources \u2013 because if we go back to the other problem that many women don’t have financial security, particularly if they have been in an abusive relationship for some time, how do you get out of a situation if you don’t have the financial means?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t4. Workforce participation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n Finally, the central part of financial independence \u2013 workforce participation. Some mothers want to stay at home with their kids, as do some dads \u2013 I would have loved to stay at home longer than three months with each of my kids, but at the time I wasn\u2019t in an organisation with paid parental leave. Some women want to return to work. Neither is right for everyone, but those women who want to get back to work need to be supported to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Almost one in five women \u2013 19% \u2013 say that their family could be a threat to their career. And considering that 26% of women answered the question of whether their family could threaten their career with \u2018not applicable\u2019, suggesting they either don\u2019t have a family or don\u2019t have a career, it\u2019s likely that the proportion of working women with kids who believe having kids could threaten their career is even higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parental leave for both men and women needs improvement to address this, as does return-to-work processes for women who have taken parental leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than half of women would like to see improved parental leave for dads. Here at Salesforce, we agree. Our parental leave policy allows for six months paid leave for a primary carer and three for a secondary carer, regardless of gender. We support couples building families via IVF and adoption, and we just want to see our people flourish at home and work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We work on a lot of graduate programs at Salesforce and a lot of other companies do as well, and I’m seeing the same sort of programming for women returning to the workforce \u2013 it\u2019s particularly useful to catch up on changes in the industry and the company in the time they were on leave. It\u2019s not just the big stuff of \u2018this is what we\u2019re selling these days, this is where everything in the new office we\u2019ve moved into\u2019, it\u2019s the little things as well \u2013 new technology might have popped up and become quite prevalent, for example we\u2019re using Quip a lot now and if you don’t feel comfortable with new tools, it\u2019s hard to return to work and feel as comfortable and productive as you did prior to leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Overall, women\u2019s roles in the workforce are expanding, and 78% of women say they are satisfied in their jobs. That\u2019s great, but we have a way to go. Australia does not have equal women in leadership, does not have equal pay, and does not have women retiring in financial security at the same rate as men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Marc Benioff says, \u201cbusiness is the greatest platform for change\u201d \u2013 we have the opportunity to make real change for women, globally and in Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n
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