Gender equity is everyone’s business, even men
Martin Portus | March 23, 2012
Since the introduction of Affirmative Action legislation back in 1986, the current gender pay gap of 17.6 percent has remained much the same in Australia. Martin Portus from the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) looks at the future for gender equity.
I like working for an idea, building thought leadership to advance a worthwhile cause, so I was happy to sign up to advance equal opportunities for women in the workplace. I realised of course that it’s more than a women’s issue, more than a human rights concern. Gender equity in the workplace is everyone’s business and I knew coming legislative changes are likely to refocus the Agency on that. Frankly, I thought I was signing up to an idea whose time had already arrived.
But then I began reading the impressive research which the Agency has gathered over the last decade, and realised how much further we had to go. Since the Affirmative Action legislation back in 1986, the current gender pay gap of 17.6 percent has remained much the same!
On the benchmark of leadership, EOWA’s Women in Leadership Census in 2010 showed little improvement over the last eight years. What’s positive is that this census promoted a lot of debate and encouraged companies to report on women in senior positions and their own objectives to achieve gender diversity. And EOWA’s 2012 Census will tell us much more in November, reporting for the first time on the representation of women on boards and in executive positions in Australia’s top 500 companies. Still, the problem remains that women on boards, for example, appear to be drawn from a fairly limited pool.
We have made progress in establishing maternity leave and other flexible working arrangements to allow women – and men – to balance their caring responsibilities at home. The irony is that we need more men to take up their access to these arrangements so they are seen as business-as-usual arrangements, ones offered by any modern company keen to attract quality employees interested in a good work/life balance. It’s not a special concession to solve the “problem” of female employment.
But the bias of centuries is hard to shift. Sure, women can be managers now, but at that level and above they’re expected to do the conventional fulltime gig. It takes leadership at the top to change these conventional modes of employment which fail to accommodate those with caring responsibilities.
What I’ve learnt first off is the economic logic which motivates CEOs to provide that leadership. The Agency has just returned from a roadshow around the country celebrating those 125 organisations awarded the EOWA 2012 Employers of Choice for Women citation. So many CEOs pointed to the competitive edge they now had in the recruitment game thanks to building gender equity in their organisation – and promoting their citation.
But most importantly, these men (and most of them are) also talked about how gender equity had improved organisational performance. It’s an issue which goes to the productivity of organisations and, ultimately, of the Australian economy. And that’s an argument which more people need to hear.
Martin Portus is a former journalist and Radio National broadcaster, Martin has lead communications for four major organisations, including the National Museum and the Australia Council for the Arts. He began this month as Executive Manager of Partnerships and Communications at the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency.
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