BETC Sao Paulo has created an app that counts the number of times a woman is interrupted by a man (or anyone really). Woman Interrupted launched today in celebration of International Women’s Day and is available for download on Apple’s app store.
The agency created the app after coming across a 2014 George Washington University study that found women get interrupted more than men.
“At first glance, it may seem like a small problem, but it reflects deeper issues of gender inequality at work and in society,” said Gal Barradas, BETC Sao Paulo founder and co-CEO. “The app is a way of showing that in fact the interruption is real and alarming,”
BETC made a video highlighting some of the app’s key features but also pointing out some of the most prominent instances of men interrupting women. Remember that time Kanye jumped onstage at the VMAs while Taylor Swift was accepting her award?
“We women struggle every day to get our space in the workplace and the right to express ourselves,” Barradas said. “When we get there, Manterrupting reduces our participation. We want men to ask themselves: Am I doing this without even realizing it? After all, what’s the point of having more women in a meeting room if nobody hears what they have to say?”
The app is pretty easy to use. Users first record their own voices before the app can track conversations and interruptions. It uses your phone’s microphone to pick up and analyze conversations and tracks the number of interruptions by men.
Part of the purpose if the app is to help men realize when they’re jumping into conversations and cutting women off. It also shows women how pervasive the problem is in their own work or social lives.
Additionally, to promote the new app, BETC Sao Paulo asked women around the world to design posters. Women from India, Japan, Pakistan, France, Italy, the U.K. and the U.S. participated. Take a look at some of the work below:
