About

Our Mission

shEqual is the first coordinated effort in Australia to promote gender equality and address the drivers of violence against women in the advertising setting.

It’s our mission to raise industry and public awareness, reinforce positive behaviours, and empower people to take action in shaping how women are represented in the stories we tell and consume.

shEqual is guided by a national strategic framework, Seeing is Believing, and takes a ‘whole-of-system’ approach to driving change, working across three priority areas: industry culture change; empowering community; and regulation and policy.

Download Seeing is Believing

About Us

shEqual collaborates with the advertising industry on research and resource development, events and communications, and delivers tailored training on gender equality for the advertising industry.

We believe in the power of people coming together to champion change, and we invite you to join us.

Meet the shEqual Team

 

The work of shEqual is brought to you by dedicated and passionate Women’s Health Victoria staff, who hold experience and expertise working in gender equality and communications. These staff members are passionate about empowering the advertising and media industry to create change for the better.

Project Reference Group

shEqual is informed by a dedicated project reference group of gender equity practitioners alongside leading voices from the advertising industry. Members of the group are passionate advocates of equality committed to creating sustainable change, within the industry and society at large.

Current reference group members are:
Annabel Green, Our Watch
Bec Brideson, Venus Comms
Catherine Rewha Rewha, OMD
Fei Wang, The Shannon Company
Katarina Matic, Bullfrog
Lauren Gurrieri, RMIT
Lisa Gumbleton, Marmalade
Maddison Keogh, Initiative
Natasha Darrigan, Respect Victoria
Phoebe Sloane, Clemenger BBDO

Women’s Health Victoria

shEqual is led by Women’s Health Victoria (WHV) – a statewide women’s health promotion, advocacy and support service with a history spanning more than 25 years. Proudly independent, feminist and not-for-profit, WHV launched shEqual in 2020 as part of their multi-year project exploring how to prevent and address gender inequality in advertising.

shEqual is the culmination of years of research, advocacy and engagement with advertising industry and brand representatives. It forms an important part of WHV’s vision of ‘Women living well – healthy, empowered and equal’.

Download Advertising (in)equality 

Strategic partners

Victoria State Government logo on a transparent background

Victorian Government

shEqual is supported by the Victorian Government under the Free from Violence and Safe and Strong strategies.

Visit https://www.vic.gov.au/about-women-victoria for more information.

Respect Victoria

Respect Victoria supports shEqual as a strategic partner, as part of its role in preventing all forms of family violence and violence against women.

Visit https://www.respectvictoria.vic.gov.au for more information.

 

Subscribe to the newsletter

 

Bringing you the ads that get real and the ads that need to get equal.

The only newsletter that takes a critical look at gender and diversity in advertising today.

This newsletter started to answer the question, ‘do sexist ads still exist today?’ Every month, the answer is yes. But, every month we also see so many great ads breaking down stereotypes and challenging expectations.

So each month we look at the best and the worst. You can expect a round-up of ads from the past month with analysis using gender and violence prevention research. You will also get a firsthand look at the latest research, resources, events and training shEqual has to offer.

The Round Up is your up-to-date resource on recognising advertising’s power in society. Perfect for advertisers wanting to create more gender-equal ads or consumers looking to be more aware of the ads we see every day.

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Contact us.

“I would love to see our industry become more educated about how we can change up our content to be more representative.”

Sarah McGregor – Executive Creative Director, Communicado