THE UnionsACT Women’s Committee is preparing to protest tomorrow (March 8) against an International Women’s Day event organised by Geocon.
UnionsACT Women’s Committee convenor Emma Turner says the event, which promotes property investment, is insulting.
“[Our] aim to show the insulting irony of Geocon’s event for investors on International Women’s Day,” Emma says.
According to UnionsACT Women’s Committee, Geocon has received public criticism for having topless waitresses on open building sites without safety gear, sexualised images of women in advertising, gendered naming of buildings, naked gold models at property events, and promotional videos for the “Tryst” apartment block featuring very young women looking semi-unconscious.
“[This event] is exploiting the decades of hard work and very real struggles of working women for social capital,” Emma says.
“What’s more, these kind of objectifying images have a direct link to gendered violence, which one in three women suffer.
“[We] decided to hold this snap protest to show that as feminists and unionists we will not stand for the objectification of women for corporate profit. We support the women entertainment workers but Geocon’s advertising is sexist.
“Canberra’s expensive housing market is affecting women most harshly and leading to rocketing homelessness rates – if Geocon cared about women they would be providing affordable social housing and ending their sexist advertising.”
The UnionsACT Women’s Committee will be protesting at Geocon’s “Tryst” building site from 4.30pm-5pm, Friday, March 8.
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