Photo credit: abc.net.au
Did you see Laura Tingle’s gripping interview with Julia Banks on ABC’s 7:30 last night, 5th July?
In the interview, Banks shares some of her experiences as a former federal MP and gives vivid descriptions of the toxic workplace culture, unconscious bias and systemic misogyny in Federal Parliament.
For me, the interview was both alarming and foreseeable – alarming, because the behaviours described and the viscous narratives employed to undermine Ms Banks are distressing; and foreseeable because I’ve seen and heard it all before.
Banks describes being backgrounded to the media with the full spectrum of sexist stereotypes, from weak petal through to a bully bi$ch.
In my negotiation coaching work with women, I hear these stories all the time. Stereotypes about women are weaponised to silence their voices: men are ambitious but women are greedy; men succeed on merit, women due to quotas, angry men are principled while angry women are irrational.
And I hear these stories from incredible, brilliant, successful women: from doctors, lawyers, fund managers and barristers.
I am doing more research on how deeply held stereotypes make it difficult for women to negotiate for themselves and I’d love to hear your experiences of this.
If you want to see the interview, you can see it here http://If not, you can see it here https://www.abc.net.au/7.30/liberal-mp-julia-banks-speaks-on-the-toxic-culture/13432590