Is your workplace suffering from diversity & inclusion fatigue?

“You have to use your privilege to serve other people.” 

Tarana Burke

Last Monday, Tarana Burke stepped out to an ovation at Collingwood Town Hall that most certainly befits the contribution she continues to make to our society. Originator of the #metoo movement, Burke was in Australia to accept the 2019 Sydney Peace Prize on behalf of the global, women-led movement of solidarity with survivors of sexual violence and harassment that is #metoo. She dedicated the prize ‘to the survivor who hasn’t yet found the voice to share their story,’ and in addressing numerous groups last week, continued her advocacy for sweeping change to a system that continues to silence the voices of survivors. 

It was against this backdrop that we woke just a day later to headlines that Australia has ‘Diversity & Inclusion fatigue’. That is the excuse offered for the glacial progress made towards gender equality as reported by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. 

"The lack of any real change in the data tells me that there is not a lot of action and target setting in workplaces.

It means that employers are not taking action."

Libby Lyons, Director of WGEA.

It seems implausible that ‘fatigue’ could be offered as an explanation for inaction when we have such a comprehensive understanding of the the magnitude of both the experience and impact of gender inequality: 

• 12 million people tweeted “#metoo” within a 48 hour period indicating they too have experienced either sexual violence or harassment. 
• The prevalence of sexual harassment has risen over the past 4 years.
• In Australia, police are called to a family violence incident every 2 minutes, totalling 264,028 call outs each year. Yet 8 in 10 women do not even call the police. 
• In 2019, 50 women have been murdered. 

It is nothing short of an unconscionable preference for privilege that ‘fatigue’ be offered as an explanation for inaction on workplace gender equality, while the prevalence of gendered based violence and harassment is nothing short of a public health crisis.   

“When everyday sexism and disrespect go unchallenged, it is normalised, excused and tolerated. The research evidence tells us that disrespectful attitudes and behaviours are part of the culture that can drive violence against women.”

Natasha Stott Despoja

Let’s orange the world together

But today is a new day. A day when we begin 16 days of action to end violence against women. 16 days when we will seek to #orangetheworld towards our vision for gender equality. 

Our vision is for a world in which women can realise their potential free from oppression, violence and discrimination; where women and men are equally responsible for the most important decisions in our world; where men can be vulnerable and care, and where work is compatible with the modern lives of families. 

Achieving equality isn’t about changing a bunch of bad guys. Its about challenging and disrupting the power imbalances, and dismantling systems responsible for oppression and disadvantage; opening our eyes to the ways in which we can use our own privilege to address disadvantage. 

So today, we invite you to join us by taking action over the next 16 days to change the system. Follow us on LI and Instagram for more.