WOMEN IN PRINT BREAKFASTS: RECORD NUMBERS AROUND THE COUNTRY

The 2023 Women in Print Breakfast Series roadshow is on the go, with the first event in Sydney yesterday, hosted by NSW Patron Debbie Burgess, drawing a record crowd for the state at 196 strong.

A crisp Autumn morning at Waterview in Bicentennial Park saw women working across various sectors in NSW print gather to network and learn more about the key messages in the book Breaking the Gender Code from author and keynote speaker, Danielle Dobson.

In her welcome address, NSW patron Debbie Burgess reminded the Women in Print community of the organisation's quest to promote gender equality in the industry, saying that increasing female employment, inclusion and leadership across the industry builds business strength and profitability and ultimately leads to a strengthened industry. 

Thanking the sponsors and partners, Burgess noted that the Women in Print events created an opportunity to build a strong, supportive community and thriving business networks. 

Burgess introduced keynote speaker Danielle Dobson, as "mother of three, author of one, leader of many" and said that Dobson (who like Burgess started her career as an accountant) is committed to breaking the gender code and having conversations around what that means in the workplace, community and particularly in families.

Dobson delivered an engaging presentation that highlighted some of the key ideas in her book, a signed copy of which was gifted to every attendee.

She started by setting a relatable context for the audience, explaining her connection to the print industry. She shared the story of her father's career in printing that started in 1964, and its progression, which ultimately led to him running his own print business. This saw him face a series of technological changes that disrupted the world of print, but that thanks to his ability to adapt and embrace change, he succeeded. A key factor in this success, Dobson said, was that he recognised the value to the business of two female graphic designers, whom he paid more than any male tradesmen.

Dobson described her father as a "gender equality trailblazer and a savvy business owner", noting that while he had to take risks to build his business, he was guided by a strong belief in what he was building.

And with this she segued to the heart of her message for the women in the audience: how breaking the existing gender code will allow you to recognise that as a woman your contribution is highly valuable in all your roles, and the skills and capabilities strengthened by being a parent and carer are powerful, adaptive leadership and career assets.

She said that in the research she conducted ahead of writing her book, she discovered a universal tension for women as they sought to succeed at work and at home, which left them feeling they were succeeding at neither, and in the process their health suffered, leading to anxiety, exhaustion, burnout, and chronic illness.

In Dobson's research process she interviewed over 100 high performing women across a range of industries and businesses, and three key themes emerged: 

1) Many women place a high value on setting up everyone around them for success, but they are unaware of the positive impact this is having.

Dobson commented that women are enabling high levels of productivity and achievement in business and society, yet don't take any 'superhero' credit for it. They just think it's how they should operate, and what society expects.

2) Becoming a parent or carer brings about a fundamental change in women, bringing about a change to their contribution at work and in their leadership style, with increased self awareness, empathy, self regulation, and emotional intelligence that in turn has a positive impact on everyone around them.

Dobson said that the skills women develop in their role as parent or carer, like flexibility, adaptability, emotional agility and conflict management, are all critical skills needed in leadership in the workplace today. 

3) Personal experiences and observations around gender disparity, discrimination and inappropriate treatment of women in the workplace, and how these disparities extended to home life and the unequal distribution of unpaid work. 

On this point, Dobson said that while these disparities and power imbalances are well documented, she wanted to get to the root of where they come from, which is what led her to her "mission" as she calls it, and to her discovery that we're all operating under a gender code, a societal algorithm deeply embedded into our culture. This pigeonholes us into a 'pink' or 'blue' box, with expectations and rules for each gender (and no accommodation for anyone identifying outside of those boxes), and we're either punished or rewarded based on how well we perform according to the code.

She said that when women enter the workplace, typically in the male dominated 'blue' territory, and bring their 'pink' skills into play, it's not a liability, it is a valuable advantage.  

Dobson says breaking the gender code is the starting point (and her book explains how to do it) and then its about defining, creating and executing your own unique code.

"You can create a strategy to ensure you're in charge of your career, your life. There are so many opportunities available to you in industry, there never has been a better time," she said.

To discover more about Breaking The Gender Code, head to codeconversations.com.au