#ChooseToChallenge

It's amazing to read so many stories of incredible women on the annual first week of March. There are so many empowering and inspirational women around us! We celebrate women in tech or women in sport, we talk about building inclusive workplaces or forging women's empowerment...

However today, I would like to acknowledge men. The special kind of men who make gender equality possible. The special kind of men, who encourage women, support women and, at times, not being scared to be looked at, laughed at and judged for being dominated. I acknowledge male managers who aim to gender equality in their teams and are flexible with working hours and arrangements for working mothers. By most of all, I acknowledge men who #ChooseToChallenge gender stereotypes at home. The fathers who spur their daughters' confidence and ambitions. The husbands who share parental responsibility and support their wives' career ambitions or put extra money into their wives' super funds while they're on maternity leave.

I've always strongly believed that men and women working together is the only way we can achieve equality. Only by changing the distorted social views on family roles and parenting, we can move towards equality. As well as it's the government's role to help facilitate this, it's everyone's role to share the load. The second men and women have equal familial responsibilities and parental leave, the second we have affordable childcare, the second people stop asking "Is father babysitting your baby today?" at business meetings and look surprised when a dad says "I need to take my son to the doctor today" is when we will advance closer to achieving gender impartiality. By working together, us men and women can build the equality. 

I am lucky to have one of these men by my side, and I see the difference it makes in my life. His emotional support and faith in me are invaluable. But his actual everyday help with raising our sons - shared sleepless nights and daycare trips - and then taking half of the load of cooking, cleaning and driving around, is what truly makes my "equal" career possible.

So, I encourage every man today (and every day of the year!) to #ChooseToChallenge any gender biases and inequality AT HOME. Not only celebrate women achievements or share a picture of your inspiring female team members but, most of all, challenge yourself to think about how you can help your wife, daughter, mother, sister or female team member rise a little higher and shine a bit brighter.