The issue of gender inclusion, equality and equity is a hotly debated topic in many western workplaces, but change often comes more slowly in Asia’s more conservative company cultures. After an off-the-cuff social media post in 2018, Cindy ‘Sirinya’ Bishop sparked the #DontTellMeHowToDress social movement that brought the harrowing reality of gender-based violence in Thailand to the fore and helped push for greater gender equality and inclusion. Using her platform to move the conversation from the public square into the boardroom, her focus is on highlighting how a safer, more diverse and equal workplace will be more creative, innovative and productive. In environments where women need to work harder and speak louder simply to be heard, this often requires grassroots initiatives to push things forward. Cindy also confronts the problem with hollow displays of tokenism and explores how to remove gendered roadblocks that prevent companies from evolving.

Cindy Bishop is a television host, actor, model, UN Women Goodwill Ambassador to Asia Pacific, and founder of the #DontTellMeHowToDress social movement against sexual assault and gender-based violence.

(0:00) Begin

(1:13) Cindy introduction 

(2:44) What sparked you to become a gender and diversity advocate? 

(7:08) How do you adapt the narrative to fit a Thai or Asian context? 

(14:08) Has the modern workplace seen progress in terms of gender equality?  

(18:14) Have you ever experienced a real pushback? 

(19:30) What type of biases do women struggle against in businesses in patriarchal societies? 

(22:34) Tell us about the book you’ve written to teach these things to Thai children 

(25:58) Tell us about your corporate training programs that teach these things to women in the workplace, such as golf caddies 

(29:02) The Takeaway: What steps can smaller companies take to begin implementing workplace equality measures? 

(31:11) Wrap-up and goodbye 

(32:04) Host wrap-up