Page 3 - Women in Rail

Why do we need to talk about
women in rail?
There are many people who might think that the discussion about women in rail is the latest fad, or flavour of the month, and that things will go back to normal soon enough. There are others who might wonder why we need to talk about it at all and question if there really is a problem.
e uncomfortable truth is women in rail con nue to experience inequi in comparison to their male colleagues.
The uncomfortable truth is women in rail continue to experience inequity in comparison to their male colleagues. If you add race into that equation, an even greater disparity is apparent.
Inequity is experienced in ways that are not career threatening, although there are many women who use the term career suicide in this discussion. Non-career threatening episodes are experienced by women on a daily basis – like the young graduate who was ridiculed for being a princess because she dared forget her hard hat one day. The (predominantly male) team placed a tiara on her hat the following day.
Inequity is experienced subtly. Like one female manager who is excluded from relevant communications by her male manager. He is always polite to women in the office, and is a renowned good bloke. In his words, he does not have time to provide her with the information she needs to do her job, albeit is able to copy in six other colleagues to the email she should have received. Then there is the male manager who takes colleagues to a bar with topless waitresses for team building exercises. I doubt if anyone could find a woman in rail who has not experienced this or a similar situation.
It is experienced blatantly by women who are paid less than their equivalent male peers and are told as much.
So, while talking about women in rail may push some outside their comfort zone, may promote others to ask why or is it really necessary, it is a conversation that must be had. Not because a publication such as this will, in and of itself, change anything – certainly not the change that is required on a social and systemic level. Not because this will indeed demonstrate the benefits of inclusive and diverse workplaces – reams have been written and researched about this and the evidence is clear.
A publication like this aims to call out this behaviour in the same way that our safety mantras shout out that it is unacceptable to walk past, to do nothing, about an unsafe situation. This document is shouting out – in the words of women – their experience of unacceptable workplace behaviour. And with that, we might just start a conversation for change. We might just promote someone to do something.
If nothing else, the premise of our publication is to ask men who work in rail this – would you be happy if your daughter, wife, sister, mother or aunt were treated in this way?
To all the courageous women who contributed their stories so honestly – thank you.
Julie Tassone
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