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The Weekly: Sexist comments towards media professionals - a global epidemic

with Madeline Price 

This first week of 2016 has given me plenty of fodder for an op-ed piece, from Barry Humphries’ horrific transphobic statements to the media, to Carrie Fishers’ statements that her accomplishments override her beauty, to A Current Affair making a blatant mockery of journalism, to Hasbro omitting the lead character of Star Wars from their themed Monopoly board, to the tragic act of family violence committed in Port Lincoln, and finally, to the lack of women of colour in the newly-released Suffragette film. 

But I think, among all these issues of gender that have cropped up in the past week, one stands out above them all - the uncomfortable, downright sexist and symptom-of-a-true-epidemic statements made by cricketer Chris Gayle to sports reporter Mel McLaughlin. 

In a week where the Saturday Women’s Big Bash game received a record television audience (of over 400,000 viewers), Cricket Australia’s Executive General Manager of Operations Mike McKenna stated that they “want[ed] to show young girls that they too can aspire to represent their favourite BBL (Big Bash League) club” and the inaugural television screening of the WBBL attracted three times the audience of free-to-air A-League football games, it was disappointing to see off field the misogynistic and outdated behaviours of Gayle. 

Whilst it was a nice surprise to wake up and see that Gayle’s club, Melbourne Renegades, had chosen to punish this sexist behaviour (with a fine of $10,000AUD), it is prudent to recognise that the actions and statements made by Gayle are not a once-off occurrence in the professional sporting arena - they symbolise an epidemic of sexist and misogynistic behaviours against women media professionals, journalists and, most predominantly here, sports reporters. 

The misogyny shown towards McLaughlin by Gayle is the latest in a series of sexist acts perpetrated against media professionals. 

In early May of 2015, Shauna Hunt, a Canadian sports reporter, was interviewing fans following a soccer match when another spectator raced into the shot shouting “F*** her right in the p****!”. Hunt, quick to react, confronted the man and his friends, stating that what he said was “[a] disgusting thing to say, [and] it’s degrading to women”. Her remarkable strength in reacting and calling the man out on live television resulted in him being let go from his place of employment (as an assistant management engineer). 

Later that year, a fan of the Chicago Blackhawks was being interviewed by Sarah Kustock during the halftime show of an ice hockey match. Concluding the interview, Kustok thanks the fan for attending the match before being pulled in close by the fan, her arm grabbed, unable to move, and told; “I love you Sarah. You’re so pretty and beautiful, I love you.” Later on, she is interviewed by a fellow reporter making light of this clearly uncomfortable and dangerous situation. 

In yet another example of a media professional being treated disrespectfully whilst undertaking her profession, sports reporter Julie DiCaro exclaims that the first time she was ever called a “filthy c***” was while debating the starting line-up of the Chicago Cubs. As an anchor for a Chicago-based sports radio station, DiCaro has had her fair share of online and offline abuse, misogynistic remarks and threats, simply for being a women in a male-dominated area. One Twitter user stated “@JulieDiCaro one of the Blackhawks plater should beat you to death with their hockey stick like the WH*** you are. C***(sic)”. Another Twitter user felt it appropriate to state: “@JulieDiCaro shut up you musty old f*** go raise your kids and get off twitter (sic)”.  

Finally, Nova Scotian-based journalist Rachel Ward, recounts one experience she had of a male source kissing her hand, and countless sources thinking that an interview meant a date later that night. 

And whilst Gayle may claim that his comments were simply a “joke blown way out of proportion”, we must look critically at the whole picture - media professionals, who also happen to be women, are subjected to these ‘jokes’ on a daily basis. 

And if we don’t call it out, it will never change. 

Madeline Price is the founder and director of the One Woman Project. ‘The Weekly’ is a weekly (as you might have guessed) instalment from Madeline around issues related to gender. Keep your eyes out for next weeks!  

xx OWP

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Meet Our Friends: Lauren & ‘Words With Heart’

Lauren Shuttleworth is the founder of Words with Heart, an eco-friendly and philanthropic stationary company that seeks to advance and encourage women and girls.

One Woman Project: WWH has a number of journals and packs available, many of which feature articles by prominent women. How much transformative power does something as simple as stationary have in the lives of girls and women?

Lauren Shuttleworth: It's incredible how sometimes the small things can have a really big impact! Stationery, like many other everyday products, has a huge transformative power for social change. When you give consumers a choice between product A and product B, where both products are exactly the same quality and price, but product B has a social or environmental outcome - it makes sense that the majority of consumers are going to choose product B. And THAT is powerful. In our case, every stationery product we sell funds education days for women and girls - its a simple, but meaningful impact that our consumers identify with. Its not about asking for donations, it's straightforward - if you're going to by a notebook, why not buy one that does good?

And in terms of a product like stationery, there is huge transformative power when it comes to design. We use notebooks and notepads so frequently day to day - making to-do lists, work plans, journaling etc. Even more so for girls and women at school or university, who are taking out books and writing notes all the time. Words With Heart focuses on promoting messages of empowerment and equality on the covers of our stationery products, because words are powerful, and when we read them often enough subconsciously we take them on board. We can see the negative effects of this power when it comes to the gender stereotyped and sexualised images and content promoted in advertising and the media.

OWP: Your organisation actively supports a number of charitable causes. What kind of change does WWH want to see in the world?

LS: Foremostly, we want to see a world where all women and girls have unhindered, equal access to education. We believe this is key to realising gender equality. Education empowers women and girls - they get married later, have fewer children, earn more, and live longer and healthier lives. Beyond this, we want to see true gender equality achieved on a world wide scale - a world with no pay gap, where women have equal representation in politics, law, leadership and business, where women aren't discriminated against or subjected to sexual harassment or gender stereotypes.

And as you've mentioned, Words With Heart is also focused on our environment and the future of our planet. We want to see governments and business become more aware and responsible for their impact on the environment. Simple changes, like using recycled paper products, reducing their carbon footprint, choosing local suppliers.

OWP: How does buying from WWH impact these causes, not just locally, but around the world?

LS: Words With Heart has three main areas of impact.

Firstly, the environment. All of our stationery products are made in Australia using the most environmentally friendly production methods possible - 100% post consumer recycled paper, vegetable based inks, solar power and no harsh printing chemicals. Every time a customer buys a notebook from Words With Heart as opposed to a regular brand, they're ensuring that native forest isn't consumed to create paper. Compared to a ton of virgin wood pulp paper, our pages use 63% less energy, 82% less solid waste and 58% water.

Secondly, every stationery product we sell funds a specific number of education days for women and girls. We partner with charities CARE Australia and One Girl who are doing incredible work when it comes to women's and girls education in the developing world. It's our aim to funds 1 million education days by 2017. I love - and I know our customers love - knowing they are having a direct impact on the education and empowerment of a women or girl every time they buy a notebook.

Finally, as discussed above, when a customer buys one of our stationery designs with empowering phrases, they are enabling those phrases to go out into the world, to be seen by friends, daughters, colleagues, strangers on the bus - everyone. It creates a subtle but important shift.

OWP: As well as other organisations, WWH is also aligned with the One Woman Project. Can you tell us how that association came to be?

LS: A friend of mine came across One Woman Project last year and immediately sent me an email saying 'you need to get in touch with these women!' There was clearly so much synergy in our passion for gender equality and education - and the fact that we were both based in Brisbane as well. I met with Maddie early this year and we quickly connected. I'm looking forward to seeing our partnership grow even stronger in the coming months and years.

OWP: Finally, what words do you have for the people reading this interview; particularly the young women who identify with the WWH message?

LS: Keep raising your voice and finding ways to support the change you wish to see in the world. Whether that's buying some of our stationery and funding education for girls, volunteering with a charity like One Girl, or learning more about gender equality through One Woman Project and then sharing that information with others. And let your own actions speak volumes. Pursue your dreams relentlessly, don't let anyone tell you that its not possible, or something that women and girls can't do. If you believe you can, you can.

You can find Words with Heart online here. Be sure to check out their store, their blog, and all the other goodies they put out into the world.

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Being the ‘Right’ Kind of Woman

By Miranda Sparks

It was seven years ago that I started my transition. For the first twenty-four-and-a-bit years of my life I’d presented as a man; then, suddenly, everyone knew I was a woman.

The process was a gradual one. There were the little things, like the way I grew my nails and styled my hair; I started wearing nail polish and lip balm; I had my ears pierced and put on jewellery; the cut of my t-shirts and jeans were tighter than they had been before, and that’s where it stopped.

For the most part I considered myself a tomboy. For me stepping into womanhood did not require total immersion into femininity, and nor should it; the spiritual language of female runs deeper than appearance.

However, that wasn’t the reason I had veered away from the feminine.

“You know that most girls hate pink and that dresses are a pain in the arse, right?” a friend had told me. She and I would drink bourbon and stay up watching John Carpenter movies until Dragonball Z aired in the morning; she wore jeans and hoodies, lived behind her Playstation 2, and didn’t put up with the ‘drama’ of other women.

“I don’t care what you are; just don’t be like them,” she told me, and why would I? From where we sat every other woman was vapid and shallow, too preoccupied with relationships and accessories to ever hold a conversation of substance.

As a lover of art, literature and philosophy I was determined to be more than that. I hungered for womanhood, while at the same time wanting to be above what I thought it was.

There were also messages broadcast by media, by radical feminists, and by religious fundamentalists; that women like me were a parody; weird transvestites and sex fiends who didn’t know when to let the fantasy end. It seemed natural to borrow from them and think that my identity was genuine in a way that others weren’t, because I was drawing from ‘real’ women and not from a stereotype.

I’d taken this lesson to heart; the cis women in my life nodded in sage approval, and I was part of the club. Everything was good.

Except... it wasn’t.

This is the part of the story where I tell you that there is nothing wrong with liking or disliking feminine things. If the trappings of that identity makes you uncomfortable and you want no part then you are under no obligation. If you like it, then please join in. Find what belongs to you, and celebrate it.

However, fleeing from the feminine was not for me. Despite what I’d done to belong I needed to explore; I wanted to wear pretty dresses, fool around with makeup, drink gourmet coffee, go shopping and laugh about the world.

I wanted to try it all and I was so ashamed, because what did that say about me?

Weak. Shallow. Irrational. Emotional. Delicate. Soft.

We know in the twenty-first century more than we have before that women are more than these stereotypes, but how much of that stems from knowing many women are not feminine? After all, these traits are applied equally to other genders when they display feminine traits.

I’ve since abandoned the lessons of my friends, and have left them in my past. Despite their disapproval I learned powerful lessons in embracing the feminine, though I’ve not immersed myself in it completely; that’s not the kind of woman I am.

It’s also taken years to unlearn the idea that femininity is a secondary class of expression, as by accepting that side I am more capable than ever. Others, I’m sure, will feel the same.

In many respects we seem to have traded our scorn of women for scorn of the effeminate. It is a battle that is being fought in the shadows, and one that calls for more nuance than most are willing to invest. 

Miranda Sparks is a web author, comedian, commentator, radio personality, community volunteer and transgender advocate/activist from Brisbane, Australia. She’s always wearing tights, but swears it has nothing to do with her love of superheroes. The glasses aid her vision and are NOT a cunning disguise.

www.onewomanproject.org

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Are you interested in exploring the perceptions and use of women and men in the media? Do you want to learn about the Bechdel Test, the Mako Mori test and the sexualisation and objectification of women and men? Join the One Woman Project’s seminar series at www.onewomanproject.org #OneWomanProject #GenderEquality #GenderEmpowerment #feminism

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One Woman Project: 12 Steps to Promoting Gender Equality Health & Equality - The effects of Gender Inequality and Gender Norms on Health. "Both gender differences and gender inequalities can give rise to inequities between men and women in health status and access to health care. For example: - A woman cannot receive needed health care because norms in her community prevent her from travelling alone to a clinic. - A teenage boy dies in an accident because of trying to live up to his peers’ expectations that young men should be "bold" risk-takers. - A married woman contracts HIV because societal standards encourage her husband’s promiscuity while simultaneously preventing her from insisting on condom use. - A country's lung cancer mortality rate for men far outstrips the corresponding rate for women because smoking is considered an attractive marker of masculinity, while it is frowned upon in women. In each of these cases, gender norms and values, and resulting behaviours, are negatively affecting health. In fact, the gender picture in a given time and place can be one of the major obstacles - sometimes the single most important obstacle - standing between men and women and the achievement of well-being. The good news is that gender norms and values are not fixed. They evolve over time, vary substantially from place to place, and are subject to change. Thus, the poor health consequences resulting from gender differences and gender inequalities are not static either. They can be changed." - WHO http://www.who.int/gender/genderandhealth/en/

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One Woman Project: 12 Steps to Promoting Gender Equality  Gender Mainstreaming 

"Gender Mainstreaming is a globally accepted strategy for promoting gender equality. Mainstreaming is not an end in itself but a strategy, an approach, a means to achieve the goal of gender equality. Mainstreaming involves ensuring that gender perspectives and attention to the goal of gender equality are central to all activities - policy development, research, advocacy/ dialogue, legislation, resource allocation, and planning, implementation and monitoring of programmes and projects." - UN Women   http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/gendermainstreaming.htm

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One Women Project: 12 Steps to Promoting Gender Equality Engaging Boys & Men to Promote Gender Equality  "Engaging boys and men in gender-equality efforts is critical to lasting social change for several reasons: • Men wield disproportionate political, religious, economic and social power, and convincing them to use this power to advance rather than obstruct gender-equality objectives is vital. • Gender is about the relationships between and among women and men, and girls and boys; transforming these relationships requires the involvement of all of these groups of people, not just half of them. • Despite the privileged position that gender norms accord males in most respects, these norms nonetheless create distinct vulnerabilities and negative outcomes for boys and men. in addition, not all boys and men enjoy a privileged position based on their gender, particularly those who do not conform to gender norms about masculinity. • Because gender norms are created and perpetuated from birth onward by families, communities, schools and other social institutions, it is key to work with men (e.g., fathers and teachers) in order to change the way in which girls and boys experience childhood and grow to adulthood. • The more men see gender issues as ‘their’ issues, the less such issues will be marginalized." - UNICEF  Read more at:  http://www.unicef.org/gender/files/Overarching_Layout_Web.pdf

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One Woman Project: 12 Steps to Promoting Gender Equality

Economic Empowerment of Women 

"Women are disproportionately affected by poverty because of barriers to education and employment. Women also have less access to land and financial services. The economic empowerment of women is crucial in developing strong societies and strong economies.

Guaranteeing equal opportunities for women and men is not just the right thing to do. It’s smart economics." - UN Women

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Our Voices has been produced as part of Alert's project Making Women's Voices Heard in Peacebuilding and Reconciliation in Burundi. The film presents the vie...

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One Woman Project: 12 Steps to Promote Gender Equality. Our first step in our 12 steps to promoting Gender Equality is Education!  "Girls’ education is both an intrinsic right and a critical lever to reaching other development objectives. Providing girls with an education helps break the cycle of poverty: educated women are less likely to marry early and against their will; less likely to die in childbirth; more likely to have healthy babies; and are more likely to send their children to school. When all children have access to a quality education rooted in human rights and gender equality, it creates a ripple effect of opportunity that influences generations to come." - UNICEF