International Women\u2019s Day last week was a bittersweet celebration with the national gender pay gap recently reaching a\u00a0 record high.<\/p>\n
Women working full time now earn almost $300 less each week\u00a0 than male counterparts, according to the Australian Bureau of\u00a0 Statistics. The pay gap has increased 1.4 per cent in the past year to 18.8 per cent, largely a result of women being underrepresented in management.<\/p>\n
According to the ABS, women represent 53 per cent of professionals, but hold less than a third (29 per cent) of roles as chief executives, general\u00a0 managers and legislators. Just 3.5 per cent of ASX200 companies have a female CEO and 12 per cent of positions\u00a0 on boards of directors belong to women.<\/p>\n
Yolanda Beattie, public affairs executive manager of the Federal\u00a0 Government\u2019s Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), says a major barrier to women is employers\u2019 natural inclination to be\u00a0 around people like themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you have a high opinion of yourself, you\u2019re more likely to recruit people who are like you,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s white, middle aged men that dominate positions of power.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beattie says the notion of the ideal worker also favours men. \u201cWe\u2019re stuck in a world view\u00a0 that the ideal worker works Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm, is on the phone after hours, talking the talk, doing the\u00a0 golf and tennis and client socialising and that is drawn in the shape of a man,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWomen who work flexibly are viewed as less committed and are not given the same access to promotion and pay\u201d.<\/p>\n
Dr Gemma Munro, CEO of Inkling Women, says the best way colleagues can support gender\u00a0 equality is by considering their language and avoiding assumptions.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoys\u2019 club culture still exists,\u201d she says. \u201cWomen are not necessarily seen as ideally suited for cutthroat industries like finance. They are\u00a0 seen as more ideal for human resources, for instance.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the ABS, the financial and insurance services industry\u00a0 has the largest gender pay gap, at 29.1 per cent. Public\u00a0 administration and safety has the smallest, at 7.2 per cent. Munro says other ways to support female colleagues include making\u00a0 after-work get togethers gender neutral rather than beers and golf,\u00a0 scheduling meetings within school hours, and giving confidence\u00a0 boosts.<\/p>\n
However, the first step towards workplace equality is acknowledging the issue. A recent Leadership, Employment and\u00a0 Direction Survey<\/a>, commissioned by Leadership Management Australasia<\/strong>, finds three quarters of male respondents (72 per cent of leaders, 78 per cent of managers and 75 per cent of employees) believe it is easy for women to reach senior management positions.<\/p>\n