Get to know SBS World News presenter Janice Petersen ahead of her appearance at AHRI’s Sydney International Women’s Day event.

Janice Petersen, presenter of SBS World News, will be the facilitator of a discussion with renowned academic and author, Dr Susan Carland, on 8 March for AHRI’s Sydney International Women’s Day breakfast event. (See details for the ACT, QLD and VIC events here).

Ahead of the event, Petersen spoke with HRM about growing up on the NSW Central Coast, navigating challenges in her professional and personal life, and her experience of visiting one of the most gender-equal countries in the world. 

1. What was your childhood like growing up in Woy Woy, NSW?

My parents left South Africa in the 1970s, which was then under apartheid. Back then, everyone was categorised by skin colour and anyone who wasn’t white was denied basic human rights. 

It’s not surprising they wanted a better life for themselves and their future children.

I was born in Australia and although I had a mostly idyllic childhood, the small, coastal town I grew up in was not very multicultural. 

My parents had moved across the world to avoid discrimination and they made a better life for themselves here. Australia’s rich diversity is one of its biggest strengths, but it has its own demons when it comes to racism.

I saw it, I felt it and I railed against it. I was always acutely aware of the injustices my parents faced in South Africa. That fostered a sense of solidarity with other minority groups and instilled in me a strong sense of fairness.

2. How did having those experiences impact you?

On more than one occasion, adults told their kids to move away from me because [they thought] my brown skin would ‘rub off’ on them. As a child, you have such reverence for adults who’ve had much more lived experience than you, so you expect them to know better. It made me quite skeptical because I saw how ill-informed and insensitive some people can be.

I quickly learned that not everyone was going to like me, and while that might not be fair, it didn’t serve me to dwell on it too much. It’s something that helps me in my profession. You can’t be all things to all people.

The vast majority of Australians though are compassionate, fair minded and thoroughly decent. I’m fortunate to meet a lot of people through my work. My parents would never have dreamt that their daughter would be invited into peoples homes all over Australia to tell them about the most important stories of the day. 

“As a child, you have such reverence for adults who’ve had much more lived experience than you, so you expect them to know better. It made me quite skeptical because I saw how ill-informed and insensitive some people can be.” – Janice Petersen, presenter, SBS World News

SBS viewers come from all walks of life and it never ceases to amaze me just how curious, kind and generous they are.

3. Were there any experiences that strengthened your empathy for other minority groups?

When I was six years old, there were two brothers at school who would call me a derogatory word for an Aboriginal person.

I knew I was being humiliated, but I didn’t know what the word meant. One day I asked my dad why these boys were calling me this word. He said, “That’s a very offensive way of talking about an Aboriginal person. You’re not Aboriginal. You were born in Australia and have South African heritage. Next time those boys tease you, tell them you are not Aboriginal, but if you were, you would be proud because this is Aboriginal land and those boys should be grateful to be standing on it.”

So the next time they hurled abuse, I delivered my mini sermon. The boys were stunned. I hope they were humbled. They never teased me again. Standing up for myself and against racism was empowering.

I could have walked away from that experience with a lot of self-loathing, but I had a father who taught me to speak up for myself, to respect Aboriginal people as the traditional custodians of this land and to confront and stamp out discrimination. 

4. In your career as a journalist, have you experienced any discrimination as a result of your gender?

Not in overt ways because both media outlets where I’ve worked – the ABC and SBS – generally attract people who are quite open-minded. But I do recall when I worked at the ABC many years ago, seniority and rising through the ranks depended on your years of service. I think that’s changed. 

One of the great things about the age we’re living in is that hard-working professionals, particularly talented women who might’ve previously been held back, can quickly rise through the ranks if they work for a progressive and fair organisation.

Fighting for equal pay is something I’ve definitely had to contend with. Ideally, all women need to be confident in knowing their worth. Constantly having to prove ourselves and our value is challenging, especially if we don’t always want to preach about our successes.

Women should be recognised and remunerated in a fair way. Although those sorts of conversations are difficult, they need to happen. Pay disparity is not ancient history. It’s something we all need to keep fighting for.

5. The government has recently banned pay secrecy clauses. What impact do you think this will have on the gender pay gap?

It’s definitely a step in the right direction as it will hopefully expose companies that aren’t doing the right thing. But I’d like to see greater legal implications for companies that don’t pay women equal salaries to men. 

The imperative shouldn’t just be on organisations; it should be enacted in law  so people who don’t do the right thing are penalised.

Quite recently, I was fortunate to travel to Iceland to produce a documentary on gender equality. Iceland has been a world leader in advancing women’s rights. It’s consistently been named the most gender-equal country in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender report. It’s not just trying to advance gender equality – it has implemented many laws that make gender inequality illegal.

Also, parental leave is available to both parents regardless of their gender or marital status. How wonderful is that! 

I travelled around the country and spoke with women and men in urban, rural and regional areas, from all sorts of industries and walks of life, and of varying socioeconomic statuses. Regardless of who I was speaking to, everyone expressed that gender equality isn’t just for women; it has great benefits for us all. Everyone truly believed that their business, society and country would be better off if women are treated equally. I hope the rest of us catch up.

6. You’ve interviewed many entrepreneurs on your podcast, The Company You Keep. What were some key pieces of advice that resonated with you?

The strongest theme that came through is that women need to back themselves.

The women who I interviewed took risks to establish their own businesses. They believed in themselves, and they surrounded themselves with others who were strong sources of support and encouraged them to push through challenges. 

These were trusted mentors and colleagues who would give them honest feedback, help them to finesse an idea, or get a project back on track. I think this advice pertains just as much to women wanting to advance within an organisation. 

In my own career, I’ve surrounded myself with strong mentors and mentored younger women. Being a mentor has not just been an opportunity to develop the younger generation coming through, but it’s also been incredibly valuable and helped me to see things with fresh eyes.

Listen to The Company You Keep podcast.

7. What are some key messages you’d like to share for International Women’s Day?

International Women’s Day should be about celebrating the success of women and the gains we’ve made, but we also need to take note of who is not at the table and who we aren’t hearing from.

At the same time, we don’t want people from minority groups to do all the heavy lifting. 

A lot of women of colour and people from diverse backgrounds are lumped with the burden of righting wrongs and educating people. That’s something I’m very cognisant of, so I hope people who get a bigger slice of the pie also do some self-reflecting. 

International Women’s Day and gender equality aren’t just women’s issues. There’s a global imperative for us all to work together and ultimately live the fullest life we can.

Want to hear more from Janice? Secure your spot at one of the four state-based IWD breakfast events today.

This article first appeared in the February 2023 edition of HRM Magazine. Image courtesy of SBS.