Action on Gender Equality Urged
Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick recently launched the Gender Equality Blueprint 2010. There are some highlights worth noting.
The Gender Equality Blueprint 2010 sets out fifteen recommendations in the following five priority areas: 1) Balancing paid work and family and caring responsibilities 2) Ensuring women’s lifetime economic security 3) Promoting women in leadership 4) Preventing violence against women and sexual harassment 5) Strengthening national gender equality laws, agencies and monitoring.
Launched by Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick, the Blueprint reminds us that:
- Women make up 50.2% of the Australian population.
- Between 2008 and 2009, Australia’s international ranking for women’s participation in the workforce dropped from 40th to 50th position.
- Women in Australia currently earn approximately 82 cents in the male dollar (full-time adult ordinary time earnings) and the gender gap in pay has widened over the last four years.
- Women chair only two per cent of ASX200 companies (four Boards) and hold only 8.3% of Board Directorships.
- Australia is one of a group of countries ranked first for women’s educational attainment.
- Australia is ranked 20 in the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Index behind Norway, the Philippines and the United Kingdom but ahead of the United States, Austria and Singapore.
Commissioner Broderick urged the Government and political parties to adopt the Blueprint, the business sector to put innovative gender equality strategies in place and to measure achievement against them, and unions to maintain their focus on pay equity. She also encouraged women’s groups and other NGOs to continue the sophisticated and sustained advocacy that was so instrumental in finally delivering paid parental leave to the community.
Visit the Australian Human Rights Commission website to download the Gender Equality Blueprint 2010
Originally published at www.openforum.com.au
Les Pickett is Partner for Australasia and South East Asia for international human capital management organisation McBassi & Company and Chief Executive of Pacific Rim Consulting Group. His professional career has taken him to over twenty countries. Former roles include General Manager Management Services with Coles Myer and Deputy Director United Nations System Staff College. He is an Ambassador to Tomorrow’s Global Company, a UK based business led think tank and a past international president of the Institute of Business Administration.
Les Pickett is an adjunct of Victoria University, member of the Australian Government Consultative Committee on Knowledge Capital, member of the International Board of Advisors International Public Management Association for Human Resources, former Deputy Director United Nations System Staff College, Past National President Australian Institute of Training and Development, Past Chairman Executive Board International Federation of Training and Development Organisations and International President Institute of Business Administration.
