‘You do not count if you have no voice’: Behind Jo Stanley’s radio network for women
We still have a long way to go when it comes to gender equality – which is why it’s vital to ensure women’s voices are heard, Jo Stanley writes this International Women’s Day.
I’ll never forget meeting Renee.
It was at an International Women’s Day lunch last year. We’d all gathered to celebrate the achievements of women and hear how we can keep working towards gender equality.
We’d raised critical funds for women facing homelessness. We’d heard from trailblazers in the building industry and sport.
All over a lovely piece of salmon and a crisp glass of pinot gris. It was a great day.
Renee happened to be seated next to me so while we didn’t know each other at the start of the lunch, by the end it felt like we’d known each other for years. Women are good like that.
An all-too-familiar juggle
Renee told me about her life, in a matter-of-fact way.
But the picture she painted for me made me sad, partly because it was such a familiar story.
Maybe it was the fatigue she felt, juggling a very demanding job with parenting two daughters, and caring for elderly parents.
And the fact these demands will make progressing in the career she loves very hard. Some weeks she can’t even snatch 60 minutes for a pilates class.
Or perhaps it was the anxiety that sometimes overwhelms her because the stresses of life just feel too much to manage.
I think we all know a woman like Renee, struggling to manage under the weight of a life that causes genuine ill-health.
In fact, women experience twice as much depression as men, and four times as much anxiety.
It’s one of the reasons International Women’s Day is so relevant, even in a country as fortunate as ours.
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Putting women’s views and voices front and centre
We have a long way to go.
But we each can shift the dial on gender equality, in big and small ways, wherever we live, work and play.
For me, a small thing I do is never comment on a little girl’s appearance, because I want her to grow up knowing her worth is not in whether she’s pretty or not.
And a big thing I’m doing?
Well, I’m building Australia’s first radio network for women, by women.
It’s called Broad Radio, and when we launch later this year we will be live internet radio delivered via our very own app.
You might be surprised to learn that gender inequality in the media is a big problem.
In radio, of the voices you hear, only 27 per cent are female, and the imbalance carries over off air as well.
The impact is probably greater than we imagine. Not just because women deserve to participate in every profession as much as men.
But because without equal female voices on radio, we’re hearing a skewed version of society – one that often reinforces harmful gender stereotypes or erases women’s stories and experiences.
Just as the old adage goes – “you cannot be what you cannot see” – you do not count if you have no voice.
So I’ve set about getting more women’s voices heard in radio, by making a brand new radio network. I have lofty goals, and it’s a big job!
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But I love radio for its power to make you feel connected and give you a good old laugh.
So every time I meet a woman like Renee I’m re-energised to keep going.
Because I want Renee to feel great, and to know she’s not alone.
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Jo Stanley is founder and CEO of Broad Radio, an author and a TV and radio presenter. Catch Jo on The House of Wellness TV show at 2pm on Fridays and noon on Sundays on the Seven Network, and on The House of Wellness radio show on Nine Radio at 8am on Sundays.
