ANZ Tackles Business Media Gender Bias With Coaching Programme For Women

Anna Hallissey

27 August 2014

is attempting to address the “disappointing and alarming” lack of women’s voices in business media with the launch of its Notable Women programme.

The programme will coach senior female ANZ staff on how to become more visible and effectively engage with the media, as well as offering support to help build their confidence within business networks and at events.

ANZ launched the Notable Women programme in a bid to help its senior women be heard in the business community, as well as raising their profiles.

“It is absolutely critical for women to be more visible both internally and externally. The absence of women’s voices and views, particularly in the business media and broader business community, is disappointing and alarming,” said Elizabeth Broderick, Australia’s federal sex discrimination commissioner.

ANZ’s head of digital and social media and the programme’s creator, Amanda Gome, argued that the under-representation of women cannot be fully rectified by solely business media, instead women themselves and the business community as a whole must step up their game.

Following on from Notable Women’s launch, the firm hosted a debate on Monday evening, discussing whether men or women were to blame for the absence of women in business media.

“Women of course are frustrated they’re under-represented in the media. But I think women are more frustrated that women aren’t stepping up to do more about this,” said Mike Smith, senior columnist at the Australian Financial Review.

“If women are visible, then they can help reshape the rules. But you can’t reshape the rules if you don’t know the rules and you can’t change the game if you don’t show up,” ANZ’s Gome added.

On the opposing side, Carol Schwartz, entrepreneur and gender activist argued: “We are all so used to seeing and hearing male journalists and male business people that we all think that’s acceptable and normal”.

“When, on the rare occasion, women are asked to comment on issues, are invariably asked questions about women’s issues: childcare, parental leave, work/life balance, as if they have no views on any bigger picture business issues that arise,” she added.