The Victorian public sector will need to halve its gender pay gap between men and women within five years, under a new gender equality strategy devised by the state government.
The Victorian government is set to release the gender equality action strategy called Our Equal State on Thursday, with 110 commitments to improve outcomes for women across the state.
Reaching gender parity in senior leadership roles within the public service within five years, and a target to double the number of men taking paid parental leave, are both key components of the plan.
Away from the public service, there are a range of other gender eqaulity commitments that will be made by the Victorian government, including naming 70 per cent of its roads, place names, and landmarks after women. This will be done by establishing a gender eqaulity target for Geographic Names Victoria, a state authority.
The plan will also focus promoting opportunities for fathers take on caring roles, committing $2 million to fathers’ groups.
Meanwhile, in local governemnt, half of all mayors and councillors across Victoria must be women by 2025.
In the education sector, schools will need to address girls’ uptake of STEM subjects, and boost boys’ enrolements in subjects like textiles and food technology. There will also be a range of other announcements across areas like education, economic participation, health and safety.
“We need to ensure the girls of today are empowered to be the women of tomorrow regardless of the colour of their skin, religious beliefs or cultural upbringing,” Minister for Women Natalie Hutchins said in a statement.
“We’ve made nation-leading progress on gender equality, but we know there’s still significant work to do and we’ll continue to stand strong against biased systems and toxic ideas.”
“We want to thank all of our valued partners who have worked with us to develop this strategy and continue to help us make Victoria a more equal state for everyone.”
Our Equal State falls under Victoria’s Gender Equality Act 2020, which requires the Minister for Women to work with public sector organisations to develop an action plan on gender equality every four years.