This week the media has had a field day over issues relating to gender equality. Firstly there was the now infamous sports interview of cricketer Chris Gayle who made suggestive remarks to a female journalist. Then it was reported that federal minister Jamie Briggs was forced to step down from his role as Minister for Cities after it was revealed he had acted inappropriately with a female colleague during a business trip to Hong Kong. Both incidents have sparked mass debate, particularly on the issues of sexual harassment within the workplace and the complexities and 'grey' areas surrounding gender equality. As soon as the footage of Chris Gayle was released, the public were quick to show their disapproval. Many deemed Gayle's comments to be inappropriate and that they not only made the Channel Ten News reporter uncomfortable but made it difficult for her to do her job. Both Channel Ten and Cricket Australia also made a point of publicly denouncing Gayle's behaviour and he has since been fined $10,000 and made a public apology. Adding to the fire was the announcement this week that Federal MP Jamie Briggs would be stepping down from his role as Minister for Cities after it was made public he acted inappropriately with a female public servant in a bar in Hong Kong, while on a business trip. In both instances Australia has drawn a firm line in the sand about what is and isn't acceptable in the workplace, demonstrating the repercussions faced when acting inappropriately with colleagues within a working environment. However some have argued that while incidents like the Gayle or Briggs debacle can happen, the real risk we run as a society is letting these incidents deter [...]The post Navigating through the complexities of gender equality appeared first on VM Learning.
