Beyond Binaries

Joanne Lockwood is joined by gender diversity speaker and consultant Cynthia Fortlage for a wide-ranging conversation about how binary thinking has shaped society and workplaces, and what it takes to build cultures where people can belong.

Cynthia unpacks what she means by gender as an innate sense of self as well as a set of social expectations, and explores how language and norms shift over time. The discussion challenges common assumptions about sex and gender, draws attention to biological diversity including intersex realities, and reflects on how colonisation and religious interpretation have influenced gender roles and inequality.

They bring the conversation into the workplace, looking at why progress on gender equity remains slow, what COVID revealed and exacerbated, and how bias shows up in pay, progression and everyday safety. Cynthia argues that organisations can be leading forces for change, especially when they treat culture as an ongoing practice rather than a one-off initiative.

Practical themes include the need for psychological safety to enable disclosure and trustworthy data, the importance of continuous learning, and the role of allies and those with power and privilege in shifting systems. Cynthia also shares elements of her own leadership journey, including transitioning while in a C-suite role, and how that experience informs her work with organisations around the world.