Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins
鈥淎 broad shift in the culture of our workplaces is urgently needed to address sexual harassment. Since the publication of our Respect@Work report in 2020, and with the courage of many victims of gendered-based violence speaking out, all employers are on notice that they must understand the risks in their workplaces and take swift individual and industry action to eliminate sexual harassment,鈥 said Commissioner Jenkins.聽
I have consistently said that the focus of employers should be to stop sexual harassment, rather than to stop complaints and media reporting of sexual harassment. This is the mindset shift required from all employers.
This event is hosted by the University of Sydney Business School鈥檚 Women and Work Research Group, which has amassed a significant body of research on women鈥檚 working lives and experiences of sexual harassment at work, including the following key findings:
鈥淪exual harassment is a persistent and pervasive feature of women鈥檚 experience at work. It has become all too clear over the past year that such behaviours are far-reaching and highly damaging to women鈥檚 safety and economic security, and that responses are often inadequate,鈥 said Marian Baird, Professor of Gender and Employment Relations and Co-Director of the Women and Work Research Group.聽 聽
Rae Cooper, Professor of Gender, Work and Employment Relations and Co-Director of the Women and Work Research Group, said addressing the problem of sexual harassment required a more holistic approach: 鈥淪exual harassment is a systemic problem that needs to be addressed in a holistic and integrated way 鈥 rather than in isolation 鈥 by organisations, governments and unions. This is urgent work.鈥
Held each year by the Women and Work Research Group at the Business School, the annual Jessie Street International Women鈥檚 Day Lecture commemorates the life and work of Jessie May Street (1889-1970), a feminist activist and suffragette who campaigned tirelessly for women鈥檚 rights and economic independence.
Commissioner Jenkins鈥 lecture will commemorate the important role Jessie Street played in ensuring women鈥檚 equal participation in the United Nations and the establishment of the Commission on the Status of Women, and Jessie鈥檚 advocacy for equality across sport, education and work, women鈥檚 financial independence, women鈥檚 suffrage and representation in Parliament.