For everyone Women’s matters: zero tolerance to gendered violence

How many minutes of silence is enough to stop gendered violence in our workplaces?

Awareness about the rise in sexism, sexual harassment and misogyny in Australian schools continues to gain momentum in the public arena. It’s positive that the media is leading the community outrage by co-opting the union’s narrative of ‘gendered violence’ to describe what’s happening. This is due to our consistent campaigning and organising around gendered violence for the past decade. 

Our work has directly led to gendered violence being recognised as an OHS workplace hazard, and to gendered violence refresher training for HSRs – but union members can do much more to help each other feel safe, equal and respected at work.

Time spent managing misogynistic attitudes and behaviours in the classroom is adding to already excessive workloads for women, who are disproportionately affected by gendered violence. In response, some are leaving the profession altogether, exacerbating workforce shortages. 

The impact is greater on First Nations members, members from Culturally and Racially Marginalised (CARM) communities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community and people with a disability. Workplace leaders (principals, managers, directors, etc) are victims, too – and many are struggling to find solutions, especially in a grossly underfunded public education system.

What can sub-branches do to improve safety?

Principals, teachers, and education support staff can’t change society alone, but adopting a whole-school approach to Respectful Relationships Education (RRE) can help. It’s an opportunity for school leadership and staff to collaborate on an RRE refresh.

Questions to be asked include: do all teachers have the appropriate supports and training to teach RRE? Has the program been diluted to meet other demands so that now the whole-of-school community approach doesn’t exist? What does our school community know about the program and our zero-tolerance approach, and how are they involved in controlling misogynistic behaviour?

AEU sub-branches could kick off an RRE refresh by asking to revisit the whole-school Respectful Relationships Education commitment statement and review the school gender equality policy (see QR codes).

Request a whole-of-staff refresher on respectful workplaces and sexual harassment e-learning, and whole-staff access to bystander training in meeting times. This is a chance to work collaboratively with your schools’ leadership, especially AEU principals, as well as with elected HSR, deputy HSR, and OHS committees to ensure safe workplaces.

The Department of Education has committed to gender safe and respectful workplaces in its Gender Equality Action Plan 2022–2025. This means that leaders must address and respond to complaints about disrespectful behaviours, and they must provide safe reporting options, and have supports for staff experiencing or witnessing inappropriate behaviours.

With the support of the AEU Women’s Organiser, members could conduct a women’s meeting in the workplace to share issues and find solutions in a safe space. Allies who want to be part of the change can be brought in for support after the first meeting. Their initial action could be to neutralise any backlash from non-allies (e.g. those who ask: “Why can’t we have a men’s meeting?”).

Reporting behaviours on OHS systems needs to become the cultural norm and can be a powerful act of solidarity. The behaviours should be named as ‘sexism’, ‘misogyny’, ‘violence against women’ and ‘sexual harassment’, rather than simply ‘inappropriate behaviour’. 

Other actions to keep your workplace safe and free from gendered violence: elect an AEU HSR and ensure they undertake training, including refresher training; and elect a Women’s Officer in the Workplace (WOW) to help the HSR cast a gendered lens on OHS incidents. Contact me or your AEU organiser for support in undertaking a GV risk assessment of your workplace.

Family violence is also a form of gendered violence. All members have access to paid family violence leave, and you can find out more by calling our Member Support Centre on 1800 238 842.

These entitlements have been won by unions standing up for what’s right – but we can only do this with strong, active membership.

Gendered violence is a union issue. Keeping members safe at work means they can stay economically independent, which helps to improve gender equality. Education is a feminised workforce, and this serious issue is adding to members’ already oversized workloads and risk of burnout.  

There’s so much more we can do. Please see my article on page 26 for more ideas on how allies can help improve workplace safety for women and girls. For more information, get in touch: kerry.green@aeuvic.asn.au.

Read more on what allies can do to improve safety for women and girls in education settings.

The RRE commitment statement and gender equity policy templates are available here.