Engaging children in discussions about gender norms and enabling men to play a bigger role at home are just some of the key actions we can take to eliminate harmful gender norms and gender inequities in Australia, according to a new report by Deloitte Access Economics.
The report, written in collaboration with Australians Investing in Women and Minderoo Foundation, outlines the ways governments, business, philanthropy and community groups can work towards realising the $128 billion that could be added to Australia’s GDP each year if women and girls are empowered to reach their full economic potential.
As well as educating young people about oppressive gender norms and empowering men to take on larger portions of domestic duties, other key actions posited include eliminating stereotypes in language and culture, embedding intersectionality across gender initiatives, creating accountable and transparent institutions and building structured processes to reduce embedded bias.
Over 200 Australian CEOs, executives, directors and managers were surveyed in the report, which found that a concerning number of Australians still held traditional and restrictive gender views.
One in four respondents believed that children do not do as well if the father stays at home and the mother is the breadwinner in a relationship. One in five believe women prefer relationships where the man is dominant.
Just over half of employers surveyed said that the comparatively low numbers of women in leadership positions can be attributed to gender discrimination, while almost fifty per cent of businesses that commemorate International Women’s Day did not have a dedicated budget for gender equity – suggesting that many employers are not equipped with the knowledge to materially minimise bias and remove barriers to inclusivity.
“As important as it is to raise awareness through work such as International Women’s Day events, real change is driven when backed up by informed actions,” Deloitte Access Economics Partner Sruthi Srikanthan said.
“Gender norms constrain the ability of women to participate in the economy and in society as equals, driving outcome gaps between men and woman from hourly pay and labour force participation to the share of domestic labour performed.”
“Society has made many attempts to address this disadvantage, but reactive interventions need to be complemented by actions that seek to shift the underlying beliefs we hold about women that ultimately cause those gaps to persist.”
“Gender norms consciously and unconsciously constrain decision making by incentivising people to act, treat others, and structure society in ways traditionally expected of their gender. There is a significant economic and social opportunity to dismantling harmful gender norms, to the benefit of not just women, but men and children too.”
Minderoo Foundation’s Head of Freedom from Violence and Embedding Equality, Kristine Kaukomaa said the report highlights the rigidity of outdated gender norms that limit the freedoms and choices of people by virtue of their gender.
“[The report] provides us with an inventory of practical options to build a fairer future,” she said. “From corporate Australia, to government, civil society and philanthropy – we can all be beneficiaries of the social and economic dividends on offer, just as we are all responsible for shaping an equitable, inclusive and prosperous Australian community.”
“We hope that a world free of inequality is the only norm future generations will know, the question is – how long are we collectively willing to wait before the next generation’s life choices are not limited by their gender?”
Julie Reilly OAM, CEO of Australians Investing In Women wants organisations in the social sector to review the report’s six actions to help unleash the country’s economic potential and improve outcomes for all Australians.
“Business, government, community leaders and philanthropists have a duty to honestly examine their gender equity efforts to determine whether they are doing enough to meaningfully address the gender norms that underpin inequity,” she said.
“Modern-day philanthropic initiatives are increasingly committed to systemic change, seeking to tackle and solve the root causes of complex issues rather than band-aiding repeatedly poor outcomes. Addressing gender norms is critical to all systems change.”
Amy Huang, Chief of Staff of Investible – an early-stage venture capital firm focusing on tech start-ups, said that female founders are systemically underfunded in venture capital, thus “perpetuating a cycle of gender bias in the tech sector with fewer female investors emerging on exit.”
“Systemic change, especially at the early stage is crucial to short-circuiting this,” she said. According to Huang, Investible’s investment process involves identifying founders who “break the mould”.
“It is not just about the individual decisions, but about building a framework that reduces inequity so that the best founders succeed, irrespective of gender.”
In Melbourne, a campaign backed by Women’s Health Victoria is working to address the drivers of gendered violence across the advertising context. The shEqual program, the first gender equality promotion of its kind in Australia, is raising industry and public awareness and empowering people to take measures in shaping how women are represented in the stories we sell and consume.
“Through our shEqual program, we are on a mission to break the norm and support the advertising industry to produce safe and respectful ads that portray all people, regardless of gender, as authentic, diverse, and multidimensional,” manager of the shEqual program, Lauren Zappa said.
In Alice Springs, gender violence advocate Carmel Simpson is tackling the issue through a program called “Our Girls Can Boys Can program” run by the Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group.
“[The program] aims to prevent violence before it begins… by tackling harmful attitudes and beliefs around gender and race that condition adults to condone, excuse or minimise violence against women, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, as well as gender diverse people and other women of colour,” Simpson said.
“The way that we challenge these harmful attitudes and beliefs is to provide positive strength-based alternative narratives, imagery and resources that explore the freedom and benefits for everyone when we have gender and racial equality.”