Moving the Middle: a new roadmap for gender equality
The Challenge
How can we speak about gender equality in a way that counts? The issue is critical, but it is rife with anxiety, uncertainty, polarisation and misinformation. Plan International Australia needed to know whether the language should change depending on the audience, and how to engage people who are sceptical of gender equality without alienating them further. Stage 1 of the Gender Compass segmented Australians by their attitudes and beliefs. Stage 2 digs deeper: who those segments are, and what actually resonates with them. It identified the 'Movable Middle', a large group whose views are not set in stone and who hold the power to shift the national conversation.
Our REsponse
An online survey and dial test with a nationally representative sample of 2,048 Australians, testing how different segments respond to messaging on gender equality. The work builds on Stage 1 of the Gender Compass, which used audience segmentation to group Australians by their attitudes and beliefs on gender equality. Stage 2 compared reactions across those segments, from people who feel hopeful about gender equality through to those who reject it as an issue, then translated the results into practical messaging advice for advocates.
The research covered a nationally representative sample of 2,048 Australians, spanning segments from those who feel hopeful about gender equality to those who reject it as an issue. Findings reach advocates through the Gender Compass report, the Moving the Middle guide and the Moving the Middle podcast.
The research shows which words, values and examples resonate with Australians, and how each segment reacts to different messaging. Talking abstractly or using polarising language alienates people from the cause. Messages built on shared values, relatable examples and inclusive language, focused on everyone, us and working together, are what shift the national conversation.
Insights
Lasting change begins with conversations, and the words we use matter just as much as the message. Progress needs consensus on two things: that gender equality is an important issue, and that there is still work to do. That means using language and examples that meet Australians where they are. Make gender equality an issue everyone connects with, and it stops being a distant goal.
