Women Are Now Scared Of Their Local Shopping Centres, They Don't Want To Leave Their Homes

** If any of these conversations are triggering please contact 1800 RESPECT or Lifeline at 13 11 14. **

When going to my local Westfield, I need to wear headphones.

I get easily overwhelmed by crowds and loud noises so the headphones help me with that.

Shopping actually becomes a pleasant experience for me when I'm able to listen a podcast and seperate myself from the chaotic world around me.

However, after this past week, I've been avoiding my local shopping centre.

Last weekend six people were murdered at the Bondi Junction Westfield; six people remain in hospital.

With majority of the victims being women, it was no surprise to hear NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb say the attacker "focused on women and avoided the men."

Victims killed by the Bondi Junction attacker, (L-R) Ashlee Good, Dawn Singleton, Jade Young, Pikria Darchia, Faraz Tahir, Yixuan Cheng. Source: Daily Telegraph

Ever since these attacks, a stroll through my local shops doesn't seem so simple anymore.

Can I even wear my headphones at the shops anymore?

Would doing so impact my safety and ability to be vigilant of my surroundings?

How do I then manage my anxiety with crowds?

I know I may seem irrational thinking this way but can you blame me right now?

In less than three weeks, NINE WOMEN have been murdered in Australia.

I asked my followers if they've been feeling the same, and unsurprisingly I'm not the only one feeling scared right now.

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"At the hairdressers and we were all discussing the attack. Later a man walked in - an extrovert, loud but friendly. We all jumped and everyone was hesitant about him entering the salon. We all discussed how we thought if he was bad-what would we do? Man was nice, I felt bad for thinking this way but we are all so jumpy." - B

"I feel oddly unsafe in my home for the first time ever." - S

"I bought a walking pad because I don’t feel safe walking by myself to the coffee shop anymore." - G

"It's my local mall and I'd been there earlier in the day. Honestly, it's made me double think going anywhere. There has been so much violence against women this year already. It's terrifying and no one is doing anything. I feel like I can't trust men in any space now." - D

"In the week before the attack, I was randomly spat on by a man in the street. I did not know him, I was collecting my lunch, scrolling my phone and only made eye contact with him as a reflex response after he yelled something random and inaudible near me. As soon as eye contact was made, he jumped and spat at me then continued walking. It happened in a crowded street in Naarm. No one approached me afterwards. I was very shaken and in tears. Now all I can think is how lucky I was that it was spit and not a knife." - L

Police outside Bondi Junction Westfield after the attack. Source: Reuters

"Skipped an event to stay home and avoid crowds." - J

"Haven't left the house. Can't even think about leaving the house. Terrified to take the kids out." - L

"I have been a paediatric nurse for 20 years, and all I can think about is that ED getting a call to inspect a 9 month old with stab wounds. I've worked in kids ED and I know the disbelief that call would have caused. In 20 years, I have never been to a training scenario that included stab wounds to an infant. Of course, we would know what to do but our mass casualty training would mainly be things like - multiple MVA'S, building collapse, or any sort of mass event like a pandemic. All I can think about is those nurses and doctors working on that baby, and what they are going through now. I've seen people do some horrible things to children, but I've never seen a deliberate stab wound in an infant. I cannot stop thinking about why our world is like this. I also can't stop thinking about the different way it's been reported cause he was a white guy. Mental illness does not make people do this, so I'm sick of hearing that. He decided that women were to blame for his issues and he decided that random strangers needed to die for his anger. How does this happen? More importantly, how does it keep happening? All over the world?

I just keep thinking - they just went shopping. - M

"I went to our local Westfield with my daughter and held her hand in a vice grip. She stayed on my left close to the walls with my body to the inside of the walkways to cover her. We avoided crowded sections. I had my eyes on her, other women, children and anyone (male or female) acting even remotely suss. We moved fast and didn’t linger in any stores." - B

"Left an all female gym and saw a man walking with a backpack - felt so scared so I ran to the car." - R

"Went to Westfield the other day. I was on high alert and noticed other people were actually off their phones more." - R

"My female work colleagues and I have all been avoiding shopping in person." - S

Tributes outside Bondi Junction Westfield. Source: Stephen Saphore / AAP

"I went to the supermarket the day after and found myself scanning for hiding spots." - B

"I went to a shopping centre with my boyfriend yesterday and he went to get a haircut so I went off to look at some shops alone. I had several men stare at me and two seperate groups of boys/young men make me feel uncomfortable. The Bondi murders made this experience feel magnified by a million because it reminded me that we as women can lose our lives at any time, at any place and even though it’s not all men, it’s always a man. How are we to know who the good ones are?" - K

"I had a meltdown in Kmart the following day thinking there would be a copycat." - V

"I'm buying keyrings that can also be used as self defence weapons. Sick of being scared all the time." - J

"I felt jumpy in the middle of the day going for a walk in my suburb with my dog and teen." - M

"Was walking the dog as usual, walked past a man, had a flash image of him stabbing me." - G

"I’ve been feeling very uneasy and it all hit me the other morning going to work. I usually have my keys in my hand (for security) but I was carrying other items. I got to the side of my car and fumbled in my bag, I heard two males voices from the opposite side of the underground carpark and suddenly felt an urgency to get in my car. I could feel my heart going crazy and I was getting emotional. As soon as I got in the car, I locked the doors and got out to the open. On the way to work I realised it was from the triggering events of the past days as well as a past incident that happened in my garage."

"Anxiety has been sky high while walking home from the station alone at night." - S

"I went to the food court on Monday for lunch in the Syd CBD. The evacuation alarm went off and 90% of people fled up the stairs in panic."- K

"I am on edge. I've had two guys move in next door to me, and I keep having thoughts of them hurting me." - H

"I don't want to go to a concert I've been looking forward to because I'm afraid." - S

"I haven't been to a shopping centre since the attack. I have little kids and I don't want to take them." - J

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Header image source: ABC News / Timothy Ailwood

Some Of Australia's Biggest Retailers Have Significant Gender Pay Gaps

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has calculated the median gender pay gap of more than 5000 organisations in Australia.

Up until now the gender pay gaps within firms were never public in Australia.

But thanks to recent law changes and the WGEA, we can finally bust the myth that the gender pay gap doesn't actually exist.

After analysing firms with more than 100 employees, the WGEA found that the Australian workforce has on average a 14.5 per cent median base salary gender pay gap, and an average 19 per cent median total remuneration gender pay gap in Australia's work sector.

Some of the largest cooperations with gender pay gaps includes Commonwealth Bank ( with a median base salary gender pay gap of 29.8 per cent), Westpac ( at 27 per cent) and the Collingwood Football Club ( at 42 per cent ) .

Data shows Jetstar has a 53.5 per cent gender pay gap, making it the highest gender pay gap in all commercial airlines in Australia.

Aussie retailer Forever New has a a median base salary gender pay gap of 50.1 per cent.

But for many the most shocking data came from the Aussie retailers.

Many brands that primarily profit off female customers seem to have substantial gender pay gaps.

In the retail fashion space, City Chic recorded the highest median base salary gender pay gap at 57.7 per cent.

Not only does City Chic cater to predominately women, it's reported 96% of their entire workforce are women.

Similarly, 97% of employees at Lorna Jane are women, yet the activewear brand has a 36.3 per cent gender pay gap.

Despite having a gender pay gap of 36.3 per cent, Lorna Jane describes themselves as a "brand that lives to inspire women around the world." Source - Lorna Jane

In the coming days it'll be interesting to see how and if the above retailers will release statements about this controversial data.

Hopefully this gender pay gap analysis will only lead to positive change within all work sectors in Australia - and most importantly lead to more women in higher paid roles.

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Why Aren't More Aussie Public Figures Speaking Out Against Genocide In Gaza?

Despite the ongoing atrocities in Gaza, Australia's media landscape has been eerily quiet.

But it's not just the mainstream media - even some of our favourite content creators, independent news outlets and feminist platforms have chosen to ignore the humanitarian crisis and stay silent.

But why?

Maybe people are worried about losing their jobs if they speak out?

Maybe they think they should just "stay in their lane?"

Or maybe they're concerned about the backlash?

If all of that is true, then shouldn't we start acknowledging the greater problem here - why is calling out genocide deemed problematic?

Using your power and privilege to platform the voices of Gaza shouldn't be this controversial.

Author, content creator and 'Queen The Label' founder Constance Hall is one of the few public figures in Australia using their platform to talk about the genocide in Gaza.

However it seems those with platforms like hers are choosing to stay out of the conversation.

“I think there’s been a real let down with Australian public figures, especially people you’d expect to speak up because they’ve publicly spoken about it [social justice issues] in the past," says Constance, "I think thats been really telling on how much people’s paycheques control their lives - people that you know are left wing and are now saying nothing and succumbing to the pressure."

She says it was disappointing seeing former Australian of the Year Taryn Brumfitt attend the White House dinner in late October - several weeks after Israel began attacking Gaza with America's support.

"This comes from a place of respect and no pressure, judgement or expectation - I simply cannot not say this," Constance wrote to Taryn back in October, "Biden is funding this war - on children, babies, these war crimes."

She asked Taryn to research the matter but received no response.

" I do try to look at it from everyone’s angle, like imagine spending your whole life being a body advocate and getting that level of global exposure yet the person who is giving that to you is also killing children in Palestine," says Constance, "it's a terrible situation to be in but I know what I would've done.” 

Since using her social media platform to speak out against Israel, Constance has experienced her fair share of online harassment.

Fake stories about her family were written in the press.

And numerous troll accounts have been created to criticise her every move.

Just like Constance, model and age visibility advocate Luisa Dunn has also been trolled by these anonymous accounts.

She says it hasn't "turned her away from speaking up, but it definitely has impacted her mental health.”

“It was hurtful to me, I lost sleep," says Luisa, "it’s very childish, school-like, it’s very hurtful and it’s cruel.”

But despite the online harassment, Luisa says the trolls have "not taken her confidence away."

"It’s not going to stop me from posting and it’s not going to stop me from being dedicated to this cause," says Luisa, "I believe in this cause deep in my heart - there’s no way I’m going to let intimidation stop me from lending my account to elevate the voices that need to be heard.” 

After Luisa began talking about Gaza on her platform, she lost over 60,000 followers within three months.

But she's not worried, now she has a closer connection with the people who stayed.

“I’ve received messages from people telling me they now look at things a different way after seeing some of the content I’ve shared," says Luisa, "for me that just encourages me more, that’s why we do it - that’s why we’re raising the voices of the people on the ground."

Luisa says people in the public eye have "the privilege and the security to speak up."

"It’s not about pointing the finger - it’s about looking at your privilege and seeing what you can do to help," she says, "the more voices that are actually talking about this issue, the easier it becomes to speak out."

Luisa says if more public figures spoke up, it would encourage others to do the same.

"Human rights is not a complex issue, we don’t just have to be ‘in our lane," she says, "if something was happening in Australia I would hope that the rest of the world wouldn’t just ignore  us."

Constance says right now more than ever people need to "be brave in this world."

"No kind of backlash that you receive will ever measure to what these people in Palestine are going through," says Constance, "in moments like this you have to ask yourself what do I stand for in this world - is it my career, my following, my money or my humanity?"

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