Last week I was honoured to be invited back to Monash University to participate on the panel for The Future is Female (Founders), a discussion celebrating International Women’s Day.
I am a 2017 alumni of The Generator, a business accelerator program run at Monash University to support start-ups.
I was on the panel with two other business owners; Dr Annie McAuley, Founder and CEO of TalkiPlay and Jessica Christiansen-Franks, Co-founder and CEO of Neighbourlytics.
The afternoon was facilitated by Megan Flamer, Head of Startup Programs at The Generator.
I often feel uncomfortable and anxious about public speaking, however I really wanted to speak out about my experiences as a female business owner. I wanted to give a voice to some challenges that I, and many women face (particularly as a start-up) whilst also highlighting the amazing qualities women bring to business.
One of the questions on the panel discussion was - What does gender equality look like to you?
I came back to the office and asked some of my team their thoughts. We've been talking about this in the office, and wanted to share our responses;
Emma (Marketing & Branding)
"Gender equality is more than just a women's issue, and our individual actions and reactions can bring change. Being more conscious of our behaviour helps us work towards a more equal world, without gender bias."
Tim (Operations)
"Simply put - it’s all about changing attitudes so that all genders have the right to the same opportunities across all facets of society - education, employment and income, ensuring there is equal gender representation across social, cultural and political thinking and development…at all levels!"
Katey (Wholesale & Marketing)
"To me, gender equality means equal opportunities, responsibilities, and respect for all genders across all facets of life (e.g. everyone does the laundry, gets equal access and respect for parental leave)."
You can learn more about International Women's Day and how you can contribute to the conversation here
Dani x
