Does The Gender Equality In Work Feel A Little One Sided?

It’s the elephant in the room in most company boardrooms

A snap-shot from the federal Governments Workplace Gender Equality Agency has found that men on average earn 24% more than women which equate to around $27,000 per year. There is no doubt that gender equality is a problem throughout the world. But what can organisations do about equal pay?

For companies, there are six concrete ways of promoting gender equality at every stage of the hiring process and career progression:

1. Rethink interview questions that are based on salary. Companies need to divert away from asking women directly how much salary they expect. Why? Because women consistently ask for less than men. Interviewers should provide a fair and transparent salary range and ask applicants to position themselves within it.

3. Be proactive about welcoming women. Companies should clearly state that they want to hire, support and promote women. Salaries and promotions should be monitored and evaluated on a regular basis to ensure equal treatment.

4. Make flexibility and work-life balance a part of the wider company culture. Too often, employees have to specifically ask to work part-time or work from home, which can be awkward. Companies should instead offer a broad range of different options.

5. Don’t limit your talent pool. Companies should aim for a 50-50 gender split in all their teams – right up to the executive floor. Offering practical support such as childcare, is part of this, as is the right attitude. It should not be a career killer for a man to ask for extended leave because he wants to look after his children.

6. Use the power of networking. Networking, mentoring and coaching opportunities can help women build confidence and develop their careers. Sharing stories with like-minded people is a great way to generate fresh ideas and start conversations based on problems currently faced.

2. Make gender equality part of training and education! ANZ recently published a video that shows children being presented with unequal pay. Gender equality should be a part of schooling to raise concerns from a young age.