SMASH THE GLASS

CHANDALY MAO

MARY BECOS

ABRAHAM PULIMOOTTIL JOHN

CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW

‘Smash the Glass’ is a social campaign, aiming to bridge the pay gap between women and men and increase women’s participation in leadership roles in the workplace through behavioural changes on gender stereotypes. The campaign was launched on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Through the campaign, women are calling for equal pay regardless of their positions. At the same time, women’s concerns are heard and discussed among employers and policymakers.

SITUATION ANALYSIS

Everyone is now living in a generation which promises gender equality. Yet, gender issues do exist today. The inequality is still seen in workforces. In Australia, full-time earnings of women are 20.8% less than those of men, which is AUD 243 per week, according to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA 2020). The proverbial glass ceiling has not been truly cracked in most workplaces, leading women to get paid less than men, despite their equal level of education and experiences. That is to say that women face inequality in the labour market which blocks their chance for leadership roles in workplaces.

Australia has a strong culture of a male-dominated society. The issues are linked with sex differences between boys and girls when they are treated differently starting at birth, which creates stereotypes and gender roles in society (Collins 2016). This is very common in that boys are taught to be strong and dare to take a risk, while girls are told to be soft and friendly—no wonder some girls and women appear to be less competitive. A research done by McKinsey (2020) points out that women are worried when it comes to balancing between work and home. A new mother, taking extended maternity leave, expects to lose their chance to be promoted at work or get their salary increased when they return to the office (Harvard Business Review 2018). Also, working mothers disproportionately work full-time a day and manage their household work and childcare (McKinsey 2020). For men, they assume that they are the breadwinner of the family. However, Roy Morgan (2017) found out that in a 10-year gap between 2006 and 2016, there was a dramatic change that women have identified themselves as the household breadwinners. Yet, the issues that working women face have not been fully heard and they are left behind even though they silently contribute a lot to their work and family.

In this context, the ‘Smash The Glass’ campaign is addressing the issues surrounding the Gender Pay Gap – one of the targets in the UN SDGs. The campaign also pinpoints the policies, regulations and general workplace behaviour which favours men that need to be changed. At the same time, the internal barriers that women face are also identified in the campaign, and they are given chances to voice their concerns and advocate for their rights in the workplace.

EXTERNAL FACTORS THAT NEGATIVELY IMPACT GENDER PAY GAP

• Gender bias on a job role and work duties

• Bias in pay decisions

• Unfair job competition between women and men

• Disproportion of women’s role at workplace and home

• Existing policies and legislations

CURRENT BEHAVIOURAL NORMS According to Artz (2018),

• Women are afraid to ask or do not demand for a salary hike.

• Women underestimate themselves in the workforce.

• Employers do not give a chance for women to lead.

• Employers think that some jobs can be done only by men.

• Employers still think that men should hold higher positions.

• It is assumed that men would be able to contribute more to the organization than women.

GOAL

‘Smash the Glass’ campaign has the primary goal of narrowing the pay gap between women and men in the workplace and encouraging women to take leadership roles.

OBJECTIVES

The aims of the campaign are:

• A high number of women participants in a discussion about Gender Pay Gap

• Wider reach of employers and policymakers on social media platforms and drive

• audience engagement to make changes in the workplace

• Encourage women to speak up and stand for their rights in the organization

• Change the stereotypical outlook of people towards pay and leadership roles in the workforce

SOCIAL MEDIA GOALS

• Reach a larger audience through socials, which means the issue of the pay gap is seen and heard

• Give women the platforms to make their voice heard as a way to encourage women to advocate for their rights

• Increase the level of engagement on social media channels by ten likes or more per post, which indicates the commitment toward the equal payment

SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS

• Facebook (main page of the campaign)

• Instagram

• YouTube

STRATEGIC DESIGN Social Marketing Mix

• Product: The gender pay gap is presented in digital content, designed by focusing on human-centricity to relate an individual with the issue and bring changes to the existing behavioural norms.

• Place: The campaign is run mainly on social media platforms, and it is also visible to online users, who use mobile phones, computers and laptops, and other electronic devices. This visibility creates an engaging interaction with users/audiences online.

• Promotion: The campaign is organically promoted on the three social media channels by using of hashtags, tagging and mentioning relevant individual, and sharing to community and network. The campaign also encourages two-way communication with audiences to increase engagement.

• Price: The campaign is non-monetary, and the cost it takes for the audience is to perceive the idea, the problem that exists and the time and effort it will take to make the difference.

Target audiences

• Age groups of 18-24, 25-34, and 35-44

• Women and men who are employers and employees

• Those work across all industries, especially male-dominated ones

Location ‘Smash the Glass’ is a nationwide campaign in Australia; however, it is also be shared to some other countries as well for wider reach. Tagline ‘Let’s Break The Glass Ceiling’

Stakeholders

• Policy and decision-makers to enforce legislations that reduce the gender pay gap.

• Government and non-government agencies to support and encourage women to apply in leadership roles.

• Private companies and NGOs working on women empowerment.

• Universities, colleges and schools who can focus on teaching women about their rights and gender equality from an early age.

• Media can influence and motivate social behaviour change by creating awareness on the issue and encourage change.

• Target audience of men and women.

Key Messages

• Let’s narrow the gender pay gap!

• Building stairs to break the glass ceiling!

• Women + Change = Equal Payment

• Creating opportunities for women in both work life and family life balance

• More women in leadership positions

Strategy To reach the goals and objectives of the campaign, the following activities are in place: Storytelling challenge, Quotes, Fun quizzes, Role model challenge and short video clip. These have been selected to reach a larger audience on socials by creating engaging content, to give women the opportunity to share their thoughts and be heard to break down the barriers through our platform.

Social media campaign planning

Timeline

IMPLEMENTATION The implementation of the campaign was conducted through Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. The contents were consistent across the three platforms. As the campaign was officially launched on 29th November 2020, four posters were published to introduce the audiences about the vision of the campaign. Following that, more quotes from well-known individuals and inspiring stories from ordinary people who want their voice heard were posted to raise awareness, to encourage, and to inspire women to take the lead. As of 14th January, there are 18 posts on Facebook and Instagram and one video clip on YouTube. The campaign has been shared to social media communities and networks and among La Trobe students. Furthermore, the campaign has also been promoted through a direct email to several non-profit organisations and institutions that work on women empowerment such as PLAN International, National Council of Women Australia, and International Women’s Development Agency. Eventually, the campaign has organically and significantly increased its reaches to wider audiences.

MONITORING Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/letsbreaktheglassceiling As of 14th January, there are a total of 265 Page followers; 53% of whom are women. Overall Facebook performance has increased significantly in term of impressions (how content is seen by Facebook community) and engagements (how people are engaging with the posts).

Top Posts

INSTAGRAM

https://www.instagram.com/smash.theglass/ As of 14th January, there are a total of 19 Page followers, with 7 net follower growth. The total page impression is 281, a sharp increase in relative to the previous week, indicating the improvement of the content to reach target audiences.

Top Posts and Stories

Hashtag Performance

As of 14th January, there are a total of 251 views and 46 subscribers. Female audiences tend to watch and view the video more than male audiences do even though most of YouTube audiences are men.

EVALUATION The campaign’s outcome is measured by the increase of engagements and interactions from the audiences. These involvements are seen through social media followers’ comments and shares, showing their idea, commitment, and support toward gender equality and equal payment for women in the workplace. Different evaluation methods have been conducted through regular monitoring, Facebook and Instagram Insights, YouTube Channel Analytics, and Sprout Social.

The campaign has found positive achievements as the messages have been consistent within the scheduled timeframe throughout the selected platforms. The increases in engagement and reach on the socials indicate that the campaign has addressed the issue to the right audience. Notwithstanding, the audience insights also demonstrate that more women support and involve in the campaign.

Examples of positive achievements include:

• The content for the storytelling challenge, quotes, and quizzes were well received and encouraged women and employers to voice and share their story and insights.

• Followers show their support through positive comments and shares on the posts. Interactions between campaign runners and followers were made as part of two-way communication.

• PLAN International Australia shows its support and interest on the campaign through direct email.

• Supporters show their interest in participating in the campaign by sharing their inspiring stories and quotes. Overall, the campaign was successful, and the key messages set for the campaign were well received, and the objectives met within the limited timeframe for implementation.

LIMITATIONS

• Limited financial resources for promoting the campaign on socials.

• Limited time for the execution of the campaign to reach a larger audience.

• Difficulty in reaching government officials and a larger number of employers to engage in the campaign due to the time limitation of the campaign execution.

REFERENCES Artz, B, Goodall, A & Oswald, A, 2018. Do women ask?, Industrial Relations, A Journal of Economy and Society, views 10 January 2021 <https://onlinelibrary-wiley- com. ez. library. latrobe. edu. au/ doi/ full/ 10.1111 /irel.12214> Collins, SJ 2016, ‘How parents unconsciously treat baby boys and girls differently’, Mamamia, 11 December, viewed 25 November 2020, <https://www.mamamia.com.au/treating- baby-boys-and-girls-differently/>. Coury, S, Huang, J, Kumar, A, Prince, S, Krivkovich, A & Yee, L 2020, Women in the workplace 2020, McKinsey, viewed 25 November 2020, <https://www.mckinsey.com/featured- insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace>. Hideg, I, Krstic, A, Trau, R & Zarina, T 2018, Do longer maternity leaves hurt women’s carerrs?, Harvard Business Review, viewed 25 November 2020, <https://hbr.org/2018/09/do- longer-maternity-leaves-hurt-womens-careers>. Roy Morgan 2017, The rise of the female breadwinner, Roy Morgan, viewed 25 November 2020, <http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/7166-rise-of-female-breadwinner- 201703060854>. Workplace Gender Equality Agency 2020, Gender workplace statistics at a glance 2020, Workplace Gender Equality Agency, viewed 20 November 2020, <https://www.wgea.gov.au/data/fact-sheets/gender-workplace-statistics-at-a-glance- 2020>.