In 2011, the Australian Department of Treasury found out it had a serious gender equality problem.
With only 22% female representation in senior executive roles and a heavily masculine culture in the workplace, Treasury women were not being given the same opportunities to progress in the department as Treasury men.
When Treasury Secretary Martin Parkinson did a study on how the department was performing on gender equality, the organisation was shocked by the results.
The study found that women’s progression in Treasury was steady throughout their careers – until they reached the top. At two levels below Senior Executive Service Levels, women simply stopped progressing.
On top of this, female employees reported that the culture at Treasury was harmful to women’s progression. “It was a very male place” where “there was only one way of operating”, according to one employee.
The Treasury is not the only organisation in its sector falling behind on gender equality – data released yesterday by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency revealed the finance sector is performing far worse than any other industry.
So in response, the department, led by Parkinson, designed a broad set of initiatives to fix its gender equality problem, which became known as the Progressing Women Initiative.
A case study by Chief Executive Women, which was revealed in Canberra yesterday, shows the initiative has been remarkably successful; Treasury has raised female representation in senior executive roles from 22% to 33% in three years, and has raised entry-level female representation from 45% to 52%.
How did they make it happen?
Chief Executive Women’s Business Engagement Committee chair Kathryn Fagg told Women’s Agenda that the department succeeded because it adopted a holistic and sensible approach to gender equality.
“Martin Parkinson recognised that something needed to change and he went about finding out what that was in a sensible way. He got the whole department engaged and together they figured out exactly where the problems were and how to fix them,” she said.
Fagg says the department succeeded because they didn’t assume they knew what the problem was, rather they listened to the data and responded to all the gaps it revealed. She also said the success required all members of the organisation – not just executives – to work towards improving gender equality.
“In order to achieve change when it comes to gender equality, you need to have every member of the organisation buying in and really committing to the project, which is what Treasury managed to do,” she said.
She said the cultural change, as well as the structural changes, she has seen at Treasury show the success of the program.
“A significant cultural change has occurred in the department and a broader set of skills are being valued. It feels like a different organisation – women don’t feel like they have to change to fit the male experience but feel like they will be accepted as who they are.”
Fagg said the experience of Treasury’s Progressing Women Initiative can and should be used as a lesson for all organisations tackling gender equality issues.
The department’s progress has been widely praised, including by Treasurer Joe Hockey and the Minister assisting the Prime Minister for Women Senator Michaelia Cash.
“(Parkinson) has worked hard into changing the culture of an organisation that is not always easy to embrace cultural change,” Hockey said in Parliament on Tuesday.
The department aims to continue improving its performance – it has set a target to increase its female representation in senior roles to 35% by 2016.