There’s been a lot of discussion lately about women coming forward to call out men’s sexism, from the blatant—sexual assault—to the more subtle—manterrupting. A common refrain in that conversation is that speaking up can be risky, there’s the fear of retribution, humiliation, and not being believed.
One consultant in Silicon Valley is taking an obvious but little-used approach to get around that problem—she’s taking the onus off women.
At startups and tech giants, Valerie Aurora is delivering what she calls “ally skills training” that teaches people in positions of privilege—namely white men—to change their own behavior instead of expecting marginalized employees to alter theirs. Their privilege offers protection, making them better suited to speak up about sexist behavior and endure the consequences.
“It is the exact opposite of Lean In,” Aurora says.
Her training provides men with specific practical steps—don’t use the term “girls” to define women aged 18 and over—and language to use when calling out sexist remarks—”not cool,” “we don’t do that here.” Aurora says, “Everything has been framed in terms of ‘what can women do to overturn sexism.’ I have reframed it as, ‘what can men do to stop sexism, because it is their responsibility.’”
Aurora’s comments remind me of the shift Anita Hill advocated for at the Fortune MPW Summit when she discussed how to get more women to report workplace wrongdoing. She said the question needs to move from the individual—“why didn’t you come forward?”—to society at large—”why didn’t we do more to motivate individuals to come forward?” Let’s hope even more people catch on.
EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA
| . |
| ...and losers |
| One vocal critic of the High Court's ruling was Suzanne Evans, who's vying to lead the pro-Brexit U.K. Independence Party. She said the judges who issued the ruling should be fired. She described the members of the bench as "activist judges" whose decision undermined democracy and overturned the "will" of voters. The Ukip leader post is open again after Diane James, Nigel Farage's replacement, stepped down in October after just 18 days on the job. |
| Business Insider |
| . |
| Family feud |
| The family behind Louis Dreyfus, one of the world's largest commodities traders, is entrenched in a battle with its chairman, Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, who married into the family. The family is unhappy with her stewardship of the company and wants to shrink its shareholding from 20% to about 3%. The complicated feud has spilled into court. |
| Wall Street Journal |
THE AMERICAS
| The bully podium |
| Before 4,000 or so supporters in Miami on Wednesday, Donald Trump singled out NBC reporter Katy Tur as an example of media bias—the third time he has called her out by name in front of a crowd. Tur says the pattern is "a schtick that he does to rile up his base," but others say Trump's comments reflect his record of negative treatment toward journalists and women. |
| Fortune |
| . |
| Hanging with Huma |
| There was speculation that Hillary Clinton's closest aide Huma Abedin would fade from the spotlight given her ties to the resurfacing of Clinton's email scandal. But just the opposite is happening. Abedin was expected to headline an exclusive fundraiser last night with some of Clinton's highest profile supporters such as fashion icons Anna Wintour and Diane Von Furstenberg. |
| Bloomberg |
| . |
| Listen up |
| The latest episode of the new podcast series Fortune On Stage presents: Most Powerful Women features Ruth Porat, CFO of Google and Alphabet. One topic of the conversation is how she delivers bad news to Fortune 500 CEOs. |
| Fortune Onstage Presents |
ASIA-PACIFIC
| Taking responsibility |
| In what the AP calls "an extraordinary display of abject apology during a moment of supreme crisis," South Korean President Park Geun-hye told the nation today that she takes sole blame for the “heartbreaking” scandal surrounding her relationship with friend Choi Soon-sil. She vowed to cooperate with an investigation into her actions. The opposition has jumped on her show of weakness by threatening her ouster if she doesn't step back from domestic affairs and accept a prime minster chosen by parliament. |
| Associated Press |
| . |
| Not a lot of company |
| Non-propaganda filmmaking only started in Laos in the last decade. Its fledging status makes director Mattie Do not just one of a few filmmakers in the nation, but the only horror director and the only woman. When she premiered her film Dearest Sister at Austin’s Fantastic Fest in September, it was Laos' 13th film—not of 2016, but ever. |
| Wired |
| . |
| Going it alone |
| In Japan, half of all single parent households—most of which are headed by women—are living in poverty. That's a higher rate than in many other developed nations. The trend could be due to 60% of working women occupying part-time or temporary jobs that don't provide the same safety net as full-time positions and pay nearly 40% less with fewer benefits. |
| CNNMoney |
IN BRIEF
| Meet the brave young woman who escaped an arranged marriage to rebuild her life |
| Refinery19 |
| Melania Trump says she’d fight cyberbullying as first lady |
| Fortune |
| In leaked memoir, Megyn Kelly says Roger Ailes sexually harassed her |
| New York Magazine |
| Hillary Clinton supporters plan to wear pantsuits to the polls |
| Wall Street Journal |
PARTING WORDS
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| --Katherine Johnson, the renowned mathematician who earned the nickname 'the human computer' at NASA. People magazine named her as one of 25 women who are changing the world. |
