New research regarding gender diversity in senior management positions is usually startling, but rarely surprising
Women working full-time still earn, on average, 17.6% less than men working fulltime. And as data provided to Women’s Agenda today by Optimice reveals, there are still 1200 companies listed on the ASX that do not have a single female board member.
Then there’s the anecdotal evidence to suggest a significant amount of women drop out of their chosen professions, and/or readjust their ambitions, upon having their first child.
We all know about the stats, just like we all know about the research supporting the business case for diversity in leadership and on company boards. Such findings provide excellent conversation triggers, but they don’t solve the problem.
That’s where we believe Women’s Agenda can help – not only by reporting on the issues and continuing the conversation regarding the gender pay gap, childcare access and women in leadership, but also by sharing ideas, stories and information that can help and inspire women to reach their desired career ambitions, and organisations their diversity needs.
And that’s why we’re mounting a challenge to Australian workplaces of the future — and we’d like you to tell us how ambitious we should be.
Over the next few months we’ll be asking you to set “The 2020 Agenda”, goals that we can all look towards as a vision for workplaces and job design of the future that support career-minded women.
Change comes from challenging what we know. And in this case, that means challenging what we know about career and job flexibility. It comes from celebrating what works, rethinking what doesn’t, and coming up with new ideas. It comes from challenging everything we know about the workplace to make sure it works for women, and men, who want to pursue their careers, on their terms.
For the majority of us, the year 2020 will still be well within the span of our own careers. It’s a realistic timeframe for which to target change.
But it shouldn’t take eight years to see progress: The 2020 Agenda is a vision for the future, but not one that should distract from the immediate priorities of our time.
What are your hopes for career-minded women in the year 2020? Share your thoughts below, and look out for our survey requesting your input in The 2020 Agenda.