Run The World Issue 1 2023

ofCountry Acknowledgement

We would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which our editorial team and readers reside, and pay our respect to their Elders past and present, We extend that respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people reading this publication.

Contrib

Editor-in-Chief

Isabella Larsen

Managing Editors

Isabella Larsen

Nikki Nair

Sophie Nguyen

Editors

Chiara Ly

Grace Wong

Julia Manias

butors Writers

Jay Williams

Denise Noel

Ella Robinson

Isabella Newtown

Graphic Designers

Isabella Ouyang

Wendy Tran

Jessie Liu

Nerine Chan

Denise Noel

Editor'sAddress

We’re so excited to present to you the first issue of Run the World for 2023! This issue’s theme is, “You can’t have it all”.

The female workplace experience has been labelled many things - demanding, tiring, unique, empowering - but balanced is certainly not one of them In the modern day, where women ’ s ability to succeed is becoming increasingly acknowledged, perceptions of them in the workplace have caused opportunities for satisfaction to remain few and far in between The career woman sacrifices her leisure time and mental health to compete in male-dominated workplaces, where going above and beyond just doesn’t seem to be enough. The mother faces a similar experience, where she is expected to make a choice between family and future. Oftentimes, family and future are assumed as one, and a career is left behind.

Whilst we are proving ourselves, we still have to disregard the constant patriarchal stereotypes that are thrown at us. Rather than having the many opportunities adult life claims to present to us, women find themselves already boxed into, subliminally or not, paths that go towards ‘female-dominated’ roles based on archaic stereotypes about our character Without any awareness or real change, women are barred from aiming high and achieving.

Even when we know that we have what it takes to do it all, there are countless boundaries in our way that say, “No you can’t ”

But, we can have everything we want, on our terms.

The path to progress lies in working hard to break through the outdated stereotypes that are used to restrict the definition of a successful woman. We exist beyond the glass ceiling. We can have it all.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy this issue!

Isabella, Nikki, and Sophie

GENDERED SUCCESS

Jay Williams

Australia considers itself a progressive, egalitarian society where everyone is regarded equal – but is it really? Two in five Australians believe women exaggerate how unequally women are treated in Australia [1] Australians are also least likely to support the idea that gender equality is a problem.[2] When Baer asked in Interview with Self ‘Can I have it all?’[3], her conclusion was no and unfortunately we, as women, would be inclined to agree with her.

Gendered expectations are engraved into women from the minute they start to understand what language and responsibilities are. Girls must play with dolls and babies, they must be sensitive and cooperative and they must always avoid being intimidating. On the other hand, boys are taught to build, and playing sports makes them admirably tough and assertive and being emotional is not desirable.[4] This traditional ideology not only opposes the assumption of an egalitarian society, but causes detrimental effects towards women and their treatment, particularly in the aspect of success

According to traditional gendered expectations, success for women is determined by their ability to be good wives and mothers, to support their husbands and to work in jobs that uphold nurturing and caring qualities.

The gender segregation in Australia’s workforce finds that Australia has above 60% female representation in clerical and support industries,[5] while men hold the majority of leadership roles [6] This indicates that traditional ideology still impacts our supposedly egalitarian society, with everyone likely adheringe to unofficial gender roles and preconceived notions of gendered success. What does this teach women? That they can thrive only in specific jobs and aspects of life where they are valued for their servitude alone Yet even then, men will hold the most senior position So the next question is - what does this tell women who wish to explore their ambitions in male-dominated jobs?

Women in male-dominated fields are ‘paid less than male employees in all genderdominant classifications’ [7] Not only does this add to the discouragement to close the gap but it also creates animosity, as is seems that women must work twice as hard to achieve what a man easily can. When women defy all odds to join these male dominated fields such as?, they are told that their success is not due to them; that they were given the position because of pity, inclusion or indecent means.

[1] Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (“ANROWS”) et al, ‘Are we there yet? Australians’ attitudes towards violence against women & gender equality’ (Summary findings from the 2017 National Community Attitude towards Violence against Women Survey (NCAS), ANROWS 2017), p 9

[2] Ibid, p 10

[3] Kate Baer, What Kind Of Woman (2021), p 69

[4] Deborah A Prentice and Erica Carranza, ‘What women and men should be, shouldn’t be, are allowed to be, and don’t have to be: the intents of prescriptive gender stereotypes’ (2002) 26 Psychol Women 269; Rudman et al, ‘Status incongruity and backlash effects: defending the gender hierarchy motivates prejudice against female leaders’ (2012) 48 J Exp Soc Psychol 165

[5] Jobs within this sector as defined under organise, retrieve and arranging characteristics which reiterate the ideas of feminine v masculine characteristics affecting job choices

[6] Workplace Gender Equality Agency, ‘Gender segregation in Australia’s workforce’ (Australian Government 2019)

[7] Ibid

It seems counter-productive as to increase women in higher positions to means to increase peace and profit,[8] although the major flaw stands with giving these positions to seem inclusive – this not only is an insult to women who could easily work for the position but it raises stress and anxiety whereby no support is given. [9] It also reiterates what some men in these fields think - that women are not capable to lead such positions and that a man in the same position would be more credible. While this belief may seem unbelievable to you, it’s one that one in seven Australians believe, especially within the political field [10]

So should gender be ignored or focused on? To hyper-focus on gender seems to pressure women into positions prematurely in a way to make a field look inclusive or because it needs a ‘ woman ’ s touch’. While this is against traditionalism, it doesn’t conclusively support egalitarian ideology either. On the other hand, ignoring gender gives rise to a lack of support, as it fosters a ‘ you chose to be here’ attitude and places immense pressure on individual women to represent the capabilities of women as a whole. The first female refueller at Melbourne airport reiterates this, stating; ‘if you do something wrong, that means all women definitely don’t deserve to be here [while] if a man makes a mistake, you don’t blame all men.’[11]

Consequently, to succeed against traditional ideology reasonably assumes that women ’ s success would not be celebrated like that of a man, if anything, extra effort needs to be deployed to fight for a position most have an easy capability to maintain So why then, do we still sit here as women and tell a society that promotes its inclusiveness that it is a lie?

Mojumder states ‘ women are the nation’s founders’[12] and that without them, society will collapse Despite this, women are seen as lesser, regardless if they spend their entire lives nurturing the welfare of society. The debate remains on whether it should be up to women to remind society of the pressure it places on them when they are only seen as successful when fulfilling traditional gender roles. While Australia attempts to promote itself as an egalitarian society, true egalitarianism cannot be achieved when women are measured by gendered means alone. Therefore, success has a gender and unfortunately, but not surprisingly, it does not favour women.

[8] Dr Margie Warrell, Gender Diversity At Leadership Tables: It Takes More Than Good Optics (Forbes) <https://www forbes com/sites/margiewarrell/2021/08/23/more-women-are-sitting-atdecision-making-tablesbut-are-they-changing-the-decisions-being-made/?sh=6d3ed5265d1e>

[9] Yue Qian and Wen Fan, ‘Men and women at work: Occupational gender composition and affective well-being in the United States’ (2019) 20 Journal of Happiness Studies 2077

[10] See n 1

[11] Rachel Rasker, What it’s like for women working in a male-dominated industry (EVERYDAY) <https://amp abc net au/article/everyday/100092154>

[12] Moushumi Mojumder, ‘The Role of Women in The Development of Society’ (2020) 7:2 Journal of Critical Review 1025, 1026

The Corporate Girl'sGuideto Sexism

written by Denise Noel

edited by Chiara Ly

Younger generations live in a politically correct culture, witnessing people's careers go down the drain after being “cancelled”. We’re surrounded by all this dialogue about diversity and equality and acceptance.

But, the unfortunate truth is that this dialogue remains just that Talk Discussion Theory Not reality - especially for the modern corporate girl.

It’s important to note here that this isn’t some extreme, universal truth. I’ve heard stories of women thriving in corporate environments that were welcoming and inclusive and diverse But, let’s not let such environments overshadow those which fail to do so.

I had the opportunity to interview CA, a woman of colour who works at a Big 4 professional services firm you would have heard of. She, like many others, chose this industry because of the opportunity and growth, selecting a top-tier firm because of the experience and training. She expected the work to be overwhelming, hearing ye old fable of the “corporate slave”. When the doors to the corporate world opened, CA found herself in a “work hard, play hard” type of culture.

“Does the boys club still exist in this culture?”

CA reports that the culture is stereotypically masculine. The men bond over sports and go for golf without considering the women; male colleagues will join higher-ups and have the opportunity to build relationships in a way she is unable to She half-jokingly recommends getting interested in sport and figuring out how to golf. Acting stereotypically masculine in this way helps you relate to executives and make that connection After all, in the corporate world it’s not what you know but who you know.

“One hundred percent. No f*cking doubt.”

e-on-one eers, and she’s with her male a for leadership istically they they preach t off the stage, ertain number of reer, CA predicts ey all fight for f camaraderie peaks for itself.”

y will, but be absolutely fair label of “the meone makes d as they are everness and wit sions suck. vironment priate behaviour

women-of-colour-harder>; Tilo, D 2022, ‘90% of female employees suffer from Imposter Syndrome’ HRD Accessed 24 April 2023 <https://www hcamag com/au/specialisation/employment-law/90-of-female-employees-suffer-fromimposter-syndrome/406296>; Paulise, L 2023, ‘75% of Women Executives Experience Imposter Syndrome in the Workplace’ Forbes Accessed 24 April 2023 <https://www forbes com/sites/lucianapaulise/2023/03/08/75-ofwomen-executives-experience-imposter-syndrome-in-the-workplace/?sh=110b12f16899>.

Ti i Mo Isabella Newton

When was the last time you properly rested?

For most women, it would have been awhile According to Harvard Business Review, 42% of women in corporate roles reported feeling burnout or exhausted in 2021 There is a so-called exhaustion gap between men and women, with 68% of women identifying themselves as burnout compared to 50% of men. These feelings of exhaustion have been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis. However, one factor that is often neglected in discussions surrounding exhaustion is hustle culture; the pressure to be constantly commodifying your time. In this article, I will explore the shift in views of rest, the emergence of hustle culture, and the implications for women. I will contend that the drive to always be productive ironically hinders sustainable productivity.

How We Used to Work and Rest

The need to constantly be busy has not been the historical norm. For example, the amount of work an individual is expected to do has shifted, from the Medieval era where it is estimated that church celebrations or holidays took out one-third of the year and peasants would work between eight to sixteen hours with substantial breaks in between, to the Industrial Revolution where the average working week was between 60 and 90 hours. Today, with technology easing the labour behind manufacturing, the working week has been reduced to an average of 40 hours The question arises then: if we are working less than previous generations, why is exhaustion and burnout so prevalent?

Hustle culture

Whilst multiple factors have contributed to this state, such as the lack of

Ishanaa Rambachan, Tijana Trkulja and Lareina Yee, 2021, Women do More to Fight Burnout and Its Burning Them Out Harvard Business Review, viewed 22 April 2023

<https://hbr org/2021/10/women-do-more-to-fight-burnout-and-its-burning-them-out>

Kim Elsesser, 2022, Women are Suffering From An ‘Exhaustion Gap’ According to New Study Forbes, viewed 14 May 2023

<https://www forbes com/sites/kimelsesser/2022/03/14/women-are-suffering-from-an-exhaustiongap-according-to-new-study/?sh=74caf69c37b3>

Juliet B Schor, 1991, Pre-Industrial Workers Had a Shorter Work Week Than Today’s MIT CSAIL, viewed 22 April 2023

<https://groups csail mit edu/mac/users/rauch/worktime/hours workweek html>

Max Roser, 2018, This is Working Hours Have Changed Over Time World Economic Forum, viewed 22 April 2023

<https://www oecd-ilibrary org/sites/11e27aff-en/index html?itemId=/content/component/11e27affen#:~:text=This%20chapter%20shows%20that%20workers,scale%20are%20of%20course%20substantial >

Oisin Gilmore, 2021, The Working Week in Manufacturing Since 1820 OECD, viewed 22 April 2023

<https://www oecd-ilibrary org/sites/11e27aff-en/index html?itemId=/content/component/11e27affen#: :text=This%20chapter%20shows%20that%20workers,scale%20are%20of%20course%20substantial >

Tiffany Burns, Jess Huang, Alexis Krivkovich,

demarcation between work and rest due to technology, little examination has been given to the impact of hustle culture Hustle culture is broadly defined as the drive to constant productivity and success, with little to no regard for self-care or work-life balance. Whilst traditionally associated with the workplace, hustle culture has crept into our homes, social lives and hobbies For example, work doesn’t end when you leave the office, rather you can keep working at home on your laptop You can sell products using social media. You can sell your love for painting or photography on Etsy

This need to commodify your time, to be constantly learning, selling or working is to the detriment of women. The fault becomes with the individual and their inability to work hard enough, rather than on the systemic level Being more productive will not

cure systems of misogyny, however that is often what we are led to believe and is part of the appeal of hustle culture for women, for this is how they can have control over their lives. For example as evident in cultural movements such as the ‘Girlboss’, ‘instead of dismantling the power men had long wielded in America, career women could simply take it for themselves at the office ’ Hustle culture puts the blame and pressure on you to change and work harder rather than targeting the systems that perpetuate inequality. It provides merely the illusion of power.

The Impact of This Culture

This drive towards constant commodification impacts numerous areas, including women’s health, hobbies and an outright rejection of the feminist movement. In regards to health, the drive towards toxic productivity leads to burnout and exhaustion.

Emma Jervis, 2023 Do Australians Have a Right to Disconnect Legalvision, viewed 22 April 2023 <https://legalvision.com.au/do-australians-have-a-right-to-disconnect/>.

Olga Molina, 2023 Hustle Culture: The Toxic Impact on Mental Health Talkspace, viewed 22 April 2023

<https://www talkspace com/blog/hustle-culture/#: :text=What%20Is%20Hustle%20Culture%3F,se nse%20of%20work%2Dlife%20balance >

Julia Dath, 2021 The Pressures of Hustle Culture Women’s Opportunity Centre, viewed 22 April 2023

<https://www womensopportunity org/woc-blog/the-pressures-of-hustle-culture>

Amanda Hull, 2020 The Girlboss has Left the Building The Atlantic, viewed 14 May 2023, <https://www theatlantic com/health/archive/2020/06/girlbosses-what-comes-next/613519/>

Olga Molina, 2023 Hustle Culture: The Toxic Impact on Mental Health Talkspace, viewed 22 April 2023

<https://www talkspace com/blog/hustle-culture/#:~:text=What%20Is%20Hustle%20Culture%3F,sen se%20of%20work%2Dlife%20balance > https://www talkspace com/blog/hustle-culture/

It increases feelings of guilt and apathy, along with the risk of depression and anxiety. It also impacts physical health, with women often experiencing a lack of sleep and poor diet choices which can result in weakened immune systems

A secondary issue but no less important is the significance of hobbies. Women are historically less likely to take time out of their day for leisure or hobbies, due to the need to be productive. Consider stereotypical male hobbies such as fishing or golf, both require extensive periods of time to engage in Female hobbies have historically served a secondary purpose not just of enjoyment but also that of service, such as cooking or sewing or being part of the P & C. Pursuing joy or leisure for the sake of it is something that women are not normally comfortable doing and the need to be constantly productive only worsens this

rejection of paid work and hustle culture The tradwife movement is where women reject paid work and instead are stay at home wives or mothers Many women describe the appeal of the movement as not having the pressure to pursue it all but rather being able to focus solely on their families. Whilst occasionally innocuous it can easily become a gateway into far-right extremism. It is worth questioning then when confronted with the backlash to feminism, what is causing is. This author would posit that hustle culture is partly to blame.

Conclusion

The ability to rest and to use our time to seek joy without guilt is something worth protecting Whilst there is significant contention as to whether it is feasible for women to have it all, hustle culture is a force that minimises its feasibility. Considering the consequences it has for women’s health, hobbies and their relationship with feminism, it is well worth fighting against. A good place to start may just be taking that nap. Ibid Ibid.

It is little wonder then that some women’s response to this culture has been an out-right

Carvan, T 2022, This is Not A Book About Benedict Cumberbatch, Fourth Estate, New York, 207-208

Ibid Anna Kelsey-Sugg and Siobhan Marin, 2021 For Some, Being a Tradwife Is About More Time with Family For Others, It’s A Dangerous Far-Right Ideology ABC, viewed 14 May 2023 <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-0822/tradwife-movement-personal-pleasures-or-extreme-right-ideologies/100356514>

© RUN THE WORLD 2023

ISSUE 1

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