RMIT expert available for comment on how to increase gender equality ahead of International Women’s Day

There’s is no excuse for workplaces not making progress on gender equality, thanks to a growing evidence base on what works.

Dr Leonora Risse (0401 360 733 or leonora.risse@rmit.edu.au)

Topics: gender equality, women in the workforce, labour economics

“While there’s plenty of promising news around gender equality in Australia, there’s still a long way to go.

“The evidence is clear that society’s everyday practices – not women – need to change.

“Switching job promotional opportunities from a ‘choice’ to an automatic process, instead of relying on candidates to self-nominate, results in more women vying for leadership positions.

“While men tend to put themselves forward for roles even if they don’t meet the criteria, women tend to second guess their credentials.

“Automatically considering all workers for promotion is a way to combat the over-representation of men climbing the promotion ladder, while women get stuck in jobs for which they are over-qualified. It’s not only inequitable, but also a waste of capabilities.

“By broadening its pool of candidates, the organisation gains the most capable person for the job – not just the person with the most gumption. 

“Other practical steps organisations can take to improve gender equality are screening job ads for gendered language, assigning office tasks instead of relying on volunteers, banning all-male panels (known as “manels”), and ensuring the microphone gets handed to a woman to ask the first question at all events.”

Read more practical strategies about increasing gender equality from Dr Leonora Risse here.

Dr Leonora Risse is a Vice-Chancellor's Postdoctoral Research Fellow based in the School of Economics, Finance & Marketing at RMIT. An economist, she has previously worked for the Productivity Commission and is the Chair of the Victorian branch of the Women in Economics Network. She is becoming an in-demand media commentator on gender equality and is known for her ability to distil complex policy and issues for a mainstream Australian audience.

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