Cool Updates, a Quiz, + News You Can Use

WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING? (updates!)

I've been spending a lot of quality time with my Intro. to Gender & Women's Studies class at the University of Rhode Island. They are currently working on their "Action Projects" where they pick an issue they care about, research it, and find a way to make change/educate on it on campus or within the community! Last week we had a rousing debate about accountability and whether after a harmful behavior an artist, celebrity, or even someone in our community should be "canceled" or what a process of rehabilitation or transformative justice might look like.

I've also spent some time working with the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence facilitating a strategic visioning session with member agencies and community partners around Economic Justice. I even got to pull out some of my toddler's toys!

One other cool thing to mention: another fantastic training with the crew at Loft! This was a follow-up to a three-part series on gender, equity, communication, and workplace culture earlier this year.

Last, but in no way least, I've been working with the team at Girls Rock! Rhode Island on a climate survey to send out to the Providence music community as a part of the Changing Our Tune Project. The survey will assess experiences around gender, equity, and harassment at music venues in town, with the data being used to inform trainings with venue staff, musicians, and audience members. It will also help evaluate whether there is any change occurs in the community's climate. If you are in Providence, keep your eyes peeled for the survey, which will be released soon!

On a related note, I also had a great time on a webinar sponsored by Americans for the Arts) with Denise Mathews-Reidpath and Rikki Davis (Girls Rock! RI's new Co-Directors), where we talked about our transition process. If you are thinking about a transition in your organization, let me know and I would love to talk about it!

Rad Tips / Rad Research Corner 

RAD TIPS!

IS YOUR WORKPLACE AT RISK? Take this quiz to find out!

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center has identified five norms that indicate a likelihood of sexual violence occurring in a particular environment (say… sexual harassment in… say… your workplace). If you answer yes to any of the following, your workplace (and you!) might be at risk:

1) Limited roles for and objectification and oppression of women
Does your workplace feature a whole lot of cis men at the top of the food chain? Chances are cis women, trans, and non-binary folks might feel like they don’t have a lot of room for growth in your workplace.
2) Value placed on claiming and maintaining power (manifested as power over)
Is there a pretty intense hierarchy in your workplace? Do individuals at the top have ultimate control with little buy-in or say from employees? Do employees feel intense competition to “get to the top”?
3) Tolerance of aggression and attribution of blame to victims
In most workplaces, this is less likely to be experienced as overt aggression, but instead, perhaps someone telling harmful or offensive jokes, and when someone is offended they are told to “lighten up” or that “they can’t take a joke”.
4) Traditional constructs of manhood, including domination, control and risk-taking
Lots of sports talk? Or maybe a hierarchy of knowledge created by constant discussions of craft beers, obscure records, or the best way to roast a pig? In some work-places, risk-taking could take the form of not wearing appropriate protective gear; in others it might be experienced as praise for taking financial risks.
5) Notions of individual and family privacy that foster secrecy and silence
Is there a lack of transparency in your workplace? Are you constantly feeling like you are missing information? Or perhaps there is little trust in the workplace or a focus on “the professional” over “the personal”, leading to an air of secrecy.

How many of these five norms does your workplace have? What about your school or community organization? Of course, these norms do not have to be present for trouble to occur, but they can create a space where power dynamics lead to harassment or violence. Even small changes in workplace or group culture can help prevent harassment or violence from occurring!

RAD RESEARCH and READING!

• Where Women See Bias, Men See a ‘Pipeline Problem’

• Women still feel they have to soften their communication at work

• What Does It Look Like to Support Women of Color to Lead?

• If Women Don’t Apply to Your Company, This Is Probably Why

• 5 Ways To Make The Office More Welcoming For People Of All Gender Identities

• Women in the Workplace 2020

• Guys, We Have A Problem: How American Masculinity Creates Lonely Men

• Biological Weathering and Its Deadly Effect on Black Mothers

• Enough Leaning In. Let’s Tell Men to Lean Out.

• White Women doing White Supremacy in Nonprofit Culture

• Supreme Court Allows People To Sue Over Web Accessibility

• Beverly Watkins, Fiery Blues Guitarist, Is Dead at 80

• Why You Should Write Down Your Company’s Unwritten Rules

• Is Redemption Possible In The Aftermath Of #MeToo?

• 'Mindfulness' Isn't the Answer to Our Completely Hellish Workplaces

• How to effectively talk to men about bad behavior in the workplace

• It’s Time for a World without Gender

• The Rules of the Diversity and Inclusion Racket

• Domination and Objectification: Men’s Motivation for Dominance Over Women Affects Their Tendency to Sexually Objectify Women

• Perceived Subtle Gender Bias Index: Development and Validation for Use in Academia

Enough about me! What are you working through today? Have questions? Ideas? Send me an email and I'd love to hear about them!

Thanks for reading!

Hilary B. Jones

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