As the world turns its focus towards International Women's Day 2024, themed "Count her in: Invest in women. Accelerate progress," a spotlight shines on businesses throughout Australia, where the recently released Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) disclosure emphasised the persistent gender pay gaps within the country’s private sector employers.
The findings are telling. While 30% have an average gender pay gap within the target of -5% to +5%, a staggering 62% of median employer gender pay gaps favour men by over 5%. Furthermore, across all participating organisations, half exhibit a gender pay gap of over 9.1%.
These statistics are not just numbers; they are a call to arms, they highlight the need to not only reinforce but also to enact the imperative slogan - invest in women and accelerate progress towards a more equitable future. They also echo the urgency of addressing the barriers that hinder women and girls from fully participating in the economic sphere, like employment pathways, financial literacy, access to education and professional development.
To mark the occasion International Women’s Day, this week, we sat with the women of Moulis Legal, to hear their stories and insights around gender equality and inclusion through investing in women. Through their eyes, we will explore the intricacies of economic empowerment, the obstacles that remain, and the strides we must take to ensure that every woman and girl is counted in, capable of building their future, and leading the charge towards gender equality.
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Q. How does the "Count Her In: Invest in Women" theme influence your understanding of inclusion and its importance in our workplace? For me, "Count Her In" underscores the necessity of recognising and valuing everyone's contributions and ensuring decision-making processes are inclusive. It emphasises investing in women as a key strategy for nurturing a workplace where creativity and commitment flourish. Judith Parker |
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"Count Her In" reinforces the idea of meaningful representation and active participation for women. It stresses the critical nature of investing in all forms of diversity to ensure our workplace remains dynamic, enjoyable, and successful. Emily JenningsPartner, Head of Dispute Resolution |
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Q. What actionable step can each of us take to contribute to a work environment that embodies the "Count Her In" principle, especially for women? Promote the redistribution of traditionally gendered roles and tasks to challenge and change stereotypes. Judith Parker |
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As a leader and a career GEDSI advocate and practitioner, I’m always auditing for what I call inclusion blind spots in my organisation’s structure and its’ policies. These are gaps that often get overlooked or missed, as they don’t present as deliberately and explicitly exclusionary. But the harmful consequences of that “blindness” can be as severe as discriminatory practices, preventing full economic participation for women in organisations. In my view, the idea behind "Count Her In" is to encourage us to dismantle outdated power structures and embrace policies that support women's full participation in the economy. We need to recognise these, call them out and then change them if we truly strive to be inclusive. Zarmina Nasir |
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Q. In the context of "Count Her In," how does supporting women in leadership roles advance broader economic inclusion, and why is it critical? Supportive environments that recognise and facilitate the unique contributions of women in leadership, including flexible arrangements and acknowledgment of parental leave, align with the "Count Her In" ethos by promoting women's economic empowerment and leadership. Lauren Harvey |
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The diversity of thought that comes from women in leadership positions is invaluable for making better decisions and fostering prosperity. Having different voices amongst decision makers is critical to generate new and better ideas, and can help remove barriers to progress. Ultimately this serves broader economic inclusion goals because when better decisions are made, everyone benefits – and not just economically. Women in leadership can help pave the way so that the cycle of economic empowerment and prosperity continues. Investing in and nurturing the potential of female leaders is the key to supporting women in leadership roles. Emily Jennings |
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Q. What strategies can we implement to break down stereotypes and biases, aligning with the "Count Her In" initiative for women's economic inclusion in our sector? Everyone has a role to play in creating inclusive workplaces. One of the most important things people can do is pause – pause and reflect on their thoughts and their feelings and try to identify what beliefs underpin those thoughts and feelings. So often we don’t stop to question our beliefs and just this small moment of reflecting can make a big difference. Along with corporate training, I think asking ourselves and our colleagues about our beliefs is important. It starts a conversation. Suzanne Moulis |
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Encouraging self-reflection and open discussions about our beliefs and biases can pave the way for a more inclusive workplace that aligns with the "Count Her In" initiative, promoting economic inclusion for women. Checking myself for unconscious bias and promoting awareness of this within our culture is definitely a passion project of mine. Zarmina Nasir |
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Q. Reflecting on the "Count Her In" theme, can you name a woman who inspires you through her commitment to economic inclusion, and what lessons can we learn from her? Amal Clooney is someone I look up to and am constantly inspired by particularly through her actions towards inclusivity. An important lesson I learnt from her was to be courageous, be willing to take the road less travelled and to not be afraid of failure because it will happen if you’re taking chances and working outside your comfort zone. Amal's approach to challenging barriers and advocating for women is a powerful example of the "Count Her In" ethos, teaching us the importance of persistence in promoting economic inclusion for women. Nelushi Dissanayake |
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Q. How do mentorship programs embody the "Count Her In" principle and contribute to fostering economic inclusion for women in the workplace? Having a mentor breaks down the opacity of the professional journey before you, particularly if your area of work is not gender-balanced. It helps you to understand and navigate the internal and implicit thinking of people in that space, both from a professional and skills-based standpoint, as well as consider their ingrained biases and how you can prepare and respond for them. In this sense, mentorship can act as a crucial levelling agent on your playing field – it’s a path someone has forged already, and which you can build upon to forge your own. Yunjin Lee |
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Mentorship programs allow for fellow women to be inspired by their mentors, and inspire their mentees, in their career progression and support their female peers in the workplace, thereby fostering inclusion. Nelushi Dissanayake |
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Q. What policy change, inspired by "Count Her In," would you advocate for to significantly impact women's economic inclusion in organizations? If both parents are able to access the same amount of parental leave, I think this would have a great impact in many ways. It would start to equalise women and men’s economic as well as family opportunities, and also help with normalising both partner’s caregiving responsibilities, whether they are men or women. Same sex couples would also benefit. Jessica Giovanelli |
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I am glad that the WGEA is now naming organisations that have failed to meet their reporting obligations. It is not OK that we have such a large gender pay gap in Australia, and it is not OK that organisations aren’t addressing their compliance obligations. All organisations should have a policy that clearly sets out how they are going to achieve pay equity. Addressing and closing the gender pay gap is a direct reflection of the "Count Her In" theme. Transparency and accountability in pay equity are essential steps towards economic inclusion for women. Suzanne Moulis |
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Q. As part of "Count Her In," how can men play a proactive role in advancing economic inclusion for women, and what specific steps should they take?
Men should champion initiatives that address challenges faced by women, including advocating for equitable pay and supportive policies around caregiving responsibilities, in line with the "Count Her In" commitment to invest in women's economic empowerment. Lauren Harvey |
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Q. How does celebrating women's achievements align with the "Count Her In" initiative and contribute to fostering a culture of economic inclusion? Women can be subject to institutional or even unconscious bias that affects their inclusion, for example they can find it more difficult than men to access capital or finance for engaging in enterprise, which evidently has a negative impact on women’s economic empowerment. If women’s achievements are celebrated and visible to others, this can start to help break down those kinds of barriers by allowing everyone to see that women are capable and successful. Jessica Giovanelli |
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Q. Within the framework of "Count Her In," how do you balance the drive for women's economic inclusion with the pursuit of meritocracy in the workplace? The "Count Her In" initiative challenges the misconception that meritocracy and women's economic inclusion are mutually exclusive. True meritocracy is about creating equal opportunities for everyone, ensuring that gender does not hinder one's economic participation or advancement. Meritocracy and promoting gender inclusion are not contrary to each other. Without getting too bogged down in definitions, in my view, promoting the inclusion of women and empowering them economically is a tool for ensuring meritocracy. It is ensuring that one’s gender does not cast a shadow on their skills and capability. It is also about reaching back into the cycle before we even get to the workplace, with equitable and fair access to services and education for young girls and women, so that people have been given equal opportunity to develop and prove their skills. Yunjin Lee |
