Adland called out for misogyny, sexual assault and grooming
This article discusses misogyny, sexual assault, and sexual harassment. If you or someone you care about needs support, please contact 1800 RESPECT at 1800 737 732. In an emergency, call 000.
The Australian advertising industry has again been called out for its sexist attitudes and behaviour towards women.
ShEqual, an initiative led by Women’s Health Victoria, has released a damning report on the culture of misogyny and sexual harassment within the advertising industry, following an online survey in October 2021 which resulted in 598 responses, with sufficient data.
Most respondents in the survey were currently working within advertising and in agencies. Respondents were more likely to identify female over male, with most aged 30-49 years and women aged 25-39 made up a third of respondents. Respondents were mostly located in Sydney or Melbourne.
I escalated my male boss’s underperformance (not showing up, missing deadlines, missing meetings) and 3 months later I (female) was made redundant. And that was after hitting all my targets and doing his job for a year. Disgusting culture from an agency that has convinced itself they are all ‘nice’ people.
There are hundreds of these stories out there and a lot of us grooming/assault survivors willing to tell their stories. There are particular repeat offenders who still operate in very powerful positions in the industry and continue to leave a trail of destruction amongst juniors. It is quite devastating. Anna, is there a channel where we can get in touch?
Hi,
You can email me at amacdonald@mumbrella.com.au, call on +61 2 9275 9242 or I am on Twitter @annamabelmac.
I’ve got to the point where, “it’s only defamation if it’s not true”. Not scared anymore. Offenders need to be made accountable, cause they’re not coming forward on their own! If you want to get together to weed them out I’m all for it. See article re my sexual assault at an advertising industry awards night. https://mumbrella.com.au/i-was-sexually-assaulted-at-an-industry-event-and-my-employer-did-nothing-to-support-me-579649