Linda Fenton was the first woman in Australia to go to court for unfair dismissal after she was made redundant while on maternity leave in 1996. Strong Women Cry Too is her unflinching account of workplace discrimination and bullying in Australia from 1980 until 2016, the year she fell into a 'black hole' of depression, and her subsequent journey of putting her life back together. Along the way she reflects on how Australian society continues to fall short in the areas of workplace culture, women's equality and mental health, as well as considering where we are now and what still needs to change.
When I started thinking about writing this book, many years ago, I wrote a note and put it into my purse that simply said, 'Write a book'. I wanted to write about my unfair dismissal case and about all the horrible things that had happened to me in the workplace; not just the sexual harassment but also the bullying. I wasn't brave or strong enough at the time for fear of being harassed and bullied even more. But I won't be silent anymore. It is bloody well not okay.
We might have laws in place to 'protect' people against these types of behaviours but, unfortunately, many still don't come forward. It's hard, really hard, to come forward and go through a process that will undermine you and make you out to be a bad person. The company I worked for tried to do that while I was going through my unfair dismissal case.
In the years that followed, the events that happened in my life - from losing more jobs, being made redundant and the breakdown of my marriage - spiralled me into a black hole of depression.
Turning my life around from rock bottom was the hardest thing I've ever done, but I hope that writing this book will help others with depression and anxiety so they can recognise that hiding it is not going to make it go away.
As much as writing has been cathartic, it has also made me more passionate about not just improving my mental health but also to hopefully encourage more women to speak up and be heard. To stop accepting bad behaviour from men when it comes to sexual harassment but also the continued discrimination women have to deal with in the workplace and in society in general.
Fenton, Linda: - Linda Fenton was the first woman in Australia to go to court for unfair dismissal after she was made redundant while on maternity leave in 1996. Strong Women Cry Too is her unflinching account of workplace discrimination and bullying in Australia from 1980 until 2016, the year she fell into a 'black hole' of depression, and her subsequent journey of putting her life back together. Along the way she reflects on how Australian society continues to fall short in the areas of workplace culture, women's equality and mental health, as well as considering where we are now and what still needs to change.
