A new research centre dedicated to building gender equality and inclusion within the Australian workforce launched in Sydney this week.
The Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work will be based at the University of Sydney and aims to build understanding of the drivers of gendered inequalities at work, while designing strategies for positive change.
Dean of the University’s Business School, Professor Leisa Sargent believes the university has a responsibility to lead on matters of economic and social importance.
“[We need to] partner with industry, government and civil society to produce excellent research with significant societal impact,” Professor Sargent said at the Centre’s offical launch this week. “This is exactly the mission of this Centre.”
Minister for Finance and Minister for Women Senator Katy Gallagher attended the launch of the centre, alongside its Director, Professor Rae Cooper AO, and its Deputy Director Professor Elizabeth Hill.
Professor Rae Cooper AO said an action-oriented, practical framework is needed to enable women to have thriving careers.
“Our work in the new Centre is focused on delivering the data, insight and tools that will build capacity of employers, government, union and civil society organisations to deliver structural change in the labour market toward gender equality,” Professor Cooper said.
Deputy Director Professor Elizabeth Hill agreed, adding that the Centre will expand the scale and scope of current research, offering an institutional profile that should attract government and industry partners.
“Partnerships with the Centre provide an opportunity to develop precise and actionable insights tailored to different worker types, occupations, industries, and demographic groups, and to support responses at scale,” she said.
“We’re also proud to invest in the next generation of clever, well-trained and highly motivated postdoctoral scholars committed to driving positive change.”
Minister for Women Katy Gallagher delivered the inaugural Gender Equality at Work Lecture at the launch, describing the importance of the Centre’s work.
“Good research leads to better decision-making, better policy outcomes and better policy,” she said. “So, no doubt as we continue the work before our government, we will be relying heavily on the Centre to help inform us with our work.”
“We see the opportunity to improve gender equality across every part of government,” she continued, praising Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for “putting women’s policy smack bang in the centre of government” with his formation of the first majority-women federal government in history after the election of the Labor Government in May 2022.
Senator Gallagher went on to describe the importance of gender equality across society, noting the insights garnered from policy experts and discussions with the public in the National Strategy for Gender Equality, which was launched in March.
“The women we consulted wanted the different aspects of their lives to work for them, not against them. They want government systems to work for them, not against them, too.”
“We’d heard from women that they don’t want to be told to work more — or to work harder. And we didn’t want to give the impression that paid work is the only answer to inequality, which, of course, it’s not.”
The Minister described the Working for Women Strategy as a “strategic framework” that “make[s] a point about systems and systemic change — and about making systems work well for women.” Specific areas of interest include closing the gender pay gap, addressing gender inequities across industry, improving workplace relations settings and changing the way we value unpaid care.
Senator Gallagher concluded her lecture by commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Sex Discrimination Act and the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Office for Women.
“As I think of all the little girls born today across the world, I remind myself of the importance of our work – of this Centre’s work,” she said.
“So that when those little girls head into school and beyond, they are supported and encouraged to be everything they can be without fear of discrimination or barriers to impede their march forward.”