Bad Behaviour Towards Women in Business - It Stops Now (#meNOmore)

I had a very different article all but prepared for today. It can wait.

I have just become aware of #meNOmore.

360 Women from the Australian Music Industry have combined to end sexual harassment in their Industry including many providing an outline of their experiences by way of an open letter to the Industry.

The letter is as disturbing as it is shameful.

We may have a perception of the music industry a being “sex, drugs and rock and roll”. We may see the industry as being more promiscuous than others. However, the cold hard reality is the Music Industry is like any other. It is a business and it takes talent and hard work to achieve success.

The music industry is similar in another way to all others. It is dominated by men. We occupy most of the powerful and influential positions in most, if not all businesses.  

I suspect any group of 360 Women Lawyers, Accountants, Retailers, Factory Employees, Education, Academia, Medical and any other industry could write and sign a letter telling similar stories to those expressed by the Women of the Australian Music Industry.

The #meNOmore group represent all Women in all walks of life by taking advantage of access to a public forum afforded them by way of their hard-earned public profile. They have the ability to generate publicity that others do not.

Their efforts today, intentionally or otherwise, are on behalf of all Women, everywhere, most of whom do not have a platform from which to speak and be heard.

It is now time for us Males to stand up and be counted. It is actually well overdue.

High profile Women may have the ability to achieve exposure of shocking behaviour but we, males, have the power and ability to change it.

I am confident in suggesting men behaving badly is representative of the minority.  

Assuming this is true, the remaining majority of us have the opportunity to make a huge difference.

We must will no longer turn a blind eye to poor behaviour being perpetrated towards women. We will call it out and we will make the victim of poor behaviour aware they have our support should action be necessary.

We must will no longer allow degrading conversation towards women, or about women to take place or continue when talking with other men. Despite there being no victim present, allowing such conversations to occur without check is representative of an attitude that needs to change.

We must will educate our sons and grandsons about the equal entitlement of women in all walks of life, including what is acceptable behaviour.

We must will ensure our daughters and granddaughters have our support to reject inappropriate behaviours and to take necessary action against the perpetrator.

Finally, we will support #meNOmore and demonstrate that Men also find the behaviour experienced by so many Women to be disgraceful, unacceptable and unable to be continued.

Australia granted the LGBTI community equal marriage rights last week. Now it is time to grant Women an equal right of respect and dignity.

#meNOmore