International Women’s Day (IWD) always gets a lot of airplay across the media, which is great. Even the ABC’s Q&A joined in this week with a panel which talked about the gender pay gap, superannuation, domestic violence and parental leave.
What I liked about it was that it wasn’t an all female panel, with Alan Jones and Josh Zepps (HuffPost founder) joining Penny Wong, Mia Freedman and Michaelia Cash. I am not a fan of events that insist on female-only panels to talk about female issues.
During the Q&A conversation Michaelia Cash (the current Minster for Women) refused to call herself a feminist. “I don’t label myself” she told the audience.
Now I wear the feminist badge proudly – I think it’s a sign of respect in terms of history and all the battles that have been fought to get this far in terms of women’s rights, but also a sign of hope for the future that we know we still have a way to go. But for a variety of reasons feminism in some sectors has become a controversial label.
I was reminded of this when I was involved in a conversation about an event for IWD. We were discussing potential speakers and a few men were suggested as speakers. The host of the event—someone who has the reputation as being a committed feminist—cut this down immediately. We couldn’t, she said, have a man speak at a IWD event—it would be an affront to women.
Really? Really? Is this where we have got to? Let me make my point of view clear: gender issues belong to both genders, women can talk about issues that concern men and vice versa. If we don’t bring in the wisdom and the experience of the opposite gender we are never going to get anywhere.
As I discussed last week it can be hard to get back into the job market after a career break so I am always on the look out for roles that demonstrate that while it’s hard, it’s not impossible.
This week Nab also has a 3 days a week role for an in-house lawyer in Melbourne – Nab is a Select Employer with Women’s Agenda and Lion is advertising a part-time analyst role in Sydney.
If you can’t use your skills to get back into your industry after taking a career break, it’s worth thinking about which other industries would be interested in your skills. Recruitment, for example, likes to hire people that know about the industry they serve so legal recruiters are open to hiring ex-lawyers for example. This week there are two roles that exemplify that – a part-time recruitment assistant role that could suit an ex-lawyer and a flexible recruitment role that could suit an ex-engineer.
Each week, Kate Mills shares the best flexible roles available. Got a great, truly flexible corporate position? Get in contact.