Working dads represent! Rob Sturrock reflects on the ways you can show your support for gender equality and urges men to take swifter action.
Reflecting on the ways that working dads can show their support for gender equality, I want to see men taking swifter action.
Until now, there have been too many easy, low- maintenance ways for men to ‘demonstrate their support’ for women. Attending events featuring an inspiring female keynote speaker. Participating in forums on diversity in the workplace, or credit your female coworkers’ ideas fairly. Take your pick.
Men’s participation in any of these activities, while it might get some of us thinking about the roles we and the women in our lives assume at work and in the home, doesn’t amount to tangible change beyond raising awareness of the problems that exist.
Such actions let men off the hook from reflecting deeply on the issues they aim to cast light on: the continued disparity between men and women across all parts of our society. Just take your pick of any workplace issue, for instance: pay and wages, leadership and representation, promotion and advancement, leave and child care.
Instead of participating in such-and-such an activity, I’d love to see working dads send a photo of themselves to the Circle In team, at hello@circlein.com or by tagging @circlein.co into your Instagram post, showing how they’re taking direct action at home or in the workplace in support of gender equality.
There are powerful and long-lasting things that working dads do every bloody day of the year to show they’re helping to create more equal homes, workplaces and communities.
So how about we see some photos of working dads doing any of the following:
- Applying for or taking parental leave.
- Using flexible work arrangements to manage the juggle.
- Taking care of sick kids home from childcare or school.
- Doing the childcare or school pick-up.
- Settling kids to sleep at night.
- Participating at kids’ school and childcare.
- Doing domestic duties around the house (not just gardening).
- Doing something amazing with your kids out in the community.
All our kids deserve to see all parents treated equally at home and in the workplace. Let’s share our real stories to show the swift action men are taking to eradicate gender inequality.
Written by Rob Sturrock. Rob has written for various outlets including Mamamia, Women’s Agenda, SMH and Huffington Post, and has appeared on ABC News and Today Show discussing the ups and downs of fatherhood. He is married with two kids.
