Marie Claire Australia - 09.2019

(^82) | marieclaire.com.au
If there’s one thing that
riles up Megan Etheridge,
it is inequality and
discrimination. “I’ve done a
lot of research into ‘lookism,’
which is discrimination in
employment based on how
you look,” explains Etheridge,
who worked in public
relations and marketing for
much of her career. “When
someone walks into a room
for a job interview, the first
thing you do is look them up
and down. If a woman feels
like she doesn’t belong, she’ll
clam up and lose confidence.”
Wanting to tackle
lookism head on, Etheridge
launched Dress for Success
Sydney a decade ago, with
the aim of supporting
women wanting to enter the
workforce with appropriate
clothing and styling advice,
as well as career workshops
on résumé writing and
preparing for a job interview.
Last year alone, Dress for
Success Sydney helped more
than 2500 women from all
different backgrounds.
Dress for Success is
about more than giving a
woman a good blazer, it’s
about making her know
her worth. After attending
career support classes and
redoing their résumé, clients
feel confident about entering
the workforce. It’s a fulfilling
feeling for Etheridge, who
has just launched Success
Works, a program for women
who have been affected by
the criminal justice system.
“My hope is that everyone
is treated equally and with
respect,” she says. “We
disrespect women when we
don’t recognise their skills
and when we don’t pay them
the same as men. There’s no
equality without respect.”
As one of the first companies to take a
public stance on pay parity, software
giant Salesforce has spent more than
$9 million addressing equal pay.
Edweena Stratton (left), Salesforce’s VP
of Employee Success, and Irina Feldman,
president of the ANZ Women’s Network,
talk about practising what they preach.
MC: Why is equal pay for equal work
so important to you as a business?
ES: Promoting a culture of equality is not
only the right thing to do, but the smart
thing to do. Research shows diverse
companies are more innovative, and
they’re in a better position to succeed. We
started conducting equality assessments
three years ago and we’ve spent more than
$9 million addressing the differences
in pay between men and women.
MC: On top of that, you’ve also created
the Women’s Network – tell us more.
IF: We don’t just focus on empowering
the women in our team, but also on
building [male] allies and working
with every member in our community,
to make sure everyone is heard.
MC: Australia’s gender pay gap is
14.1 per cent. What’s your advice to
companies wanting to address that?
ES: Address the pay gap with transparency

• internally and externally. Where pay gaps
  exist, organisations have an obligation to
  look at it, be open about it and address it.

The

SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIOR

WINNER:

Megan Etheridge OAM,

Dress for Success

The

PAY EQUITY

PIONEERS

WINNER: Salesforce

FROM LEFT At Sydney’s iconic

venue Water at Pier One, guests

sipped Veuve Clicquot champagne,

were entertained by DJ Alice Q, and

networked with Bumble’s associate

marketing director of APAC Michelle

Battersby (far right image, middle).