An advertisement for a Sydney real estate agent's 'team' has raised eyebrows after a female staff member failed to get a mention in the ad copy.
The photo, shared on social media on Tuesday, shows McGrath Double Bay agent James Ledgerwood with his sales associate Ben Fraser, both of whom have included their names and contact details.
The photo, titled “The James Ledgerwood Team,” also features executive assistant Alina Setter, who is not named.
The post has been viewed by more than 114,000 people, with many using the comments to express their disapproval. Ms Setter was omitted while Mr Ledgerwood was mentioned three times.
After the Sydney real estate agent's ad was shared on social media, many people pointed out that the female employee was not identified by name
'Everyone has a name, except the woman. Not cool,” someone said.
“Great PR to feature a woman and not name her,” said another.
'Women make 70 percent of real estate purchasing decisions. Promoting yourself in a way that is likely to annoy women doesn't seem like a very smart choice in my opinion,” a third agreed.
'No recognition from the executive assistant……. Who would be the one to do the real work?' added a fourth.
Others went so far as to label the ad as 'sexist' and questioned whether Ms Setter was the 'token' woman there as 'window dressing' to balance the image.
But, as one commenter noted, there could be another explanation for the absence of contact information.
'Is the woman a licensed agent? Otherwise, she can't talk about real estate with buyers or sellers. She can perform administrative tasks, such as making appointments, but she is not even allowed to say how many bedrooms a home has.'
Mr Ledgerwood works in Sydney's exclusive eastern suburbs and the online reviews of him seem overwhelmingly favorable
According to NSW Fair Trading, 'anyone wishing to work as a real estate agent in NSW will need a licence'.
A real estate agent license allows the holder to sell, rent and manage real estate on behalf of clients.
Anyone without a license cannot act as an agent for a potential buyer, seller, landlord or tenant and cannot negotiate transactions such as buying, selling, exchanging or leasing real estate.
It is unclear whether Ms. Setter has her real estate license.
Mr Ledgerwood, a former Real Estate Industry Queensland (REIQ) Agent of the Year in 2014, welcomed Ms Setter on board earlier this year.
He specializes in real estate in the Bellevue Hill, Bondi, North Bondi, Bondi Beach and Vaucluse areas and holds the record for selling the most expensive apartment in Bondi when he sold the Kew Penthouse in November 2022 for $8.4 million.
Mr Ledgerwood and Ms Setter have been contacted for comment.