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This year’s International Women’s Day centres on #BreaktheBias, and how we can all take steps to actively call out gender bias, discrimination and stereotyping.

Our Director, Sunjay, had a recent experience which gave him a new insight into the everyday bias and microaggressions faced by women on a regular basis, particularly in the workplace. Sunjay shares his perspective below…

“I wanted to share this experience both with my team and my online audience. It’s an experience I was privileged enough to have, and one I wish more men could have. It gives me perspective and it makes me want to be a better bloke, a better human, and a better manager.

We were tasked with creating films for International Women’s Day for one of our clients. So, me, Georgia, Ryan, rock up, and we go in and we ask questions like, “What does female empowerment mean to you? And what is some of the advice that you might give?”

And then one of the questions was “What are some of the challenges that you’ve faced as a woman?”…and then the first thing that happened is that each of the women being interviewed would laugh a little.

Then they paused, and you could see them each mentally flick through a 7,000 page journal of the numerous incidents. So, firstly, they had to rattle through that rolodex of discrimination to find just one, and then to pick one that they’re comfortable actually sharing.

But what actually would happen at that point is we would have to interrupt them to say “Ah, nah, actually stop. Can you say that again?“… because they’d be talking about a time in work or in life where they’ve been discriminated against for just being a woman, but also belittling that situation by saying things like “It probably isn’t that big” or “It’s just something really small” or “Oh, it’s not a huge deal“. And we’d have to reiterate that “No – that’s exactly why we’re here.”

It was crazy at that point to see that that not only are we in a society where women are treated like second class citizens, but also they’re conditioned to not even want to complain about it; even when we’re going through an activity where we’re specifically shining a light on this kind of stuff! If it wasn’t that bad, we wouldn’t be here doing this activity to try and raise awareness for it.

So it’s a really interesting point: if the woman who’s actually faced that discrimination has that level of personal bias against herself, then as a man, how much bias could you hold without realising it?

I think it was a really interesting experience to go through as a man, because you look at that situation and say “Alright, so where is my own personal bias?“

A lot of the things that were raised related to being talked over. About not being listened to, or not being heard, or not being taken seriously. And you start thinking, “The men that did that can’t all be evil people, right?” Or are they purposely saying, “Oh, your opinion actually doesn’t matter.”?

Either way, men who talked over and silence women’s inputs are holding onto a personal bias that’s constructed by our society, where they think that’s acceptable behaviour. That for me is so crazy because if you haven’t had those conversations, or like me have been lucky enough to hear from so many of these amazing women, then you could just hold that personal bias on forever.

Discrimination against women is a women’s issue, but it’s a man’s issue too – because we have to reflect on that and address our own personal bias when we’re interacting with women on a daily basis.

It’s easy, I think, to look at the really, really serious and horrific and tragic issues; but they have to actually come from somewhere. They actually came from a place where we can create a culture where it’s okay, or it feels okay, to behave like that in front of a woman. And for me, it comes from those small things, from the things that “don’t really matter” – where you’re talking over a woman, or you’re not listening to that woman’s voice, or you’re dismissing it, or not taking someone seriously.

I think it was such an interesting experience to have to go through and reflect on. We just have to do more, I think. And I think we have to encourage more men to stand up more, to speak up, and to check themselves more as well. For all of us, men and women, to take all of it seriously – all of the little bits, not just the major bits as well.

I guess the take home is, let’s be more conscious of our energy. Let’s be more conscious of our choices. Be more conscious that we’re not acting on the biases that we have just been kind of conditioned to have.”