POLICY BRIEFING NOTE 1 GENDER EQUALITY: LEADING THE WAY SUMMARY • Gender equality benefits both men and women, and society as a whole, resulting in positive economic and social outcomes. • The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government has made a significant investment in addressing family violence. Action is now needed to address gender inequality which is inextricably linked with family violence. • YWCA Canberra works every day to progress gender equality in the ACT. We provide education and training opportunities for women through our She Leads Diploma of Management, workshops and Conferences, support innovative ideas and projects through our Great Ydeas Grants Program, actively engage women through our Board Traineeship Program, and maintain a 30 per cent quota for women under 30 on our Board. • The evidence is clear on the actions needed to address gender inequality. The ACT needs a Gender Equality Act, increased resourcing for the Office for Women, the introduction of blind recruitment practices in the ACT Public Service, and for the development of all policy to be done with gender equality at the forefront of decision making.
GENDER EQUALITY MATTERS Gender equality benefits society as a whole. If women are able to participate equally in employment, and have safe, secure, and healthy lives, this has a positive impact on all of society in economic, social and welfare terms. The social and economic case for gender equality is clear. Women make up one half of the population and deserve equal access to health, education, economic participation, and decision-making power. Ensuring that we adequately use half of our ‘talent pool’ improves economic growth, competitiveness and future-readiness.i Not taking action is costly, with research suggesting that failing to address gender inequality costs Australia $195 billion or 13 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).ii
There are several examples of gender inequality in targets, resourcing or actions. Separate action the Australia and the ACT: plans are created under the Plan. • ACT women that work full time hours earned, In 2016 the ACT Government announced a $21.42 on average, more than $300 less than men million commitment to ‘Safer Families’ to tackle iii each week ($1,209 versus $1536). family violence. Safer Families includes a full-time Coordinator-General • The Workplace for Family Safety and Gender Equality team, strengthening Agency (WGEA) 2016 integrated case scorecard reported The social and economic case management, enhanced the gender pay gap decision making in child for gender equality is clear. in Australia to be 23.1 protection, training for per cent, with men Women make up one half of the staff across sectors earning, on average, on family violence, population and deserve equal $26,853 per year translation and more than women. access to health, education, interpreting services for • Women account for economic participation, and court, increased funding 65 per cent of the for Legal Aid, support decision-making power. ACT Public Service, for immediate expenses but only 42 per cent for people escaping of senior executive domestic violence, positions.iv increased policing • On average, women support, and increased funding for the Domestic retire with half as much superannuation as Violence Crisis Service and Canberra Rape men; one in three have no super at all.v, vi Crisis Service. • On average, women in Australia spend more The Parliamentary Agreement for the 9th time each day working (paid and unpaid), and Legislative Assembly of the ACT (Parliamentary more than double the amount of time that men Agreement) includes a commitment to ‘undertake spend each day on unpaid work.vii disability and gender impact analysis as part of • Women are less likely to have paid leave the triple bottom line framework, and ensure entitlements in Australia and single mothers that all relevant staff are trained in TBL analysis’. are the least likely to have access to paid Gender analysis is already included as an optional leave entitlements, with nearly a third lacking component in the ACT Government’s Triple Bottom access.viii Line (TBL) Assessment Framework, contingent on whether “the purpose of the policy is to address • One in three Australian women have poverty or gender issues”.xi More information experienced physical violence, one in four is needed on how the Government intends to women have experienced violence by an operationalise its commitment in the intimate partner and one in five experience ix Parliamentary Agreement. sexual violence. The Parliamentary Agreement also makes a THE CURRENT POLICY ENVIRONMENT commitment to ‘Continue social and emotional learning programs in schools to enhance the In 2016, the ACT Government released the ACT x skills of children and young people to engage Women’s Plan 2016-26. The Plan is a high level in respectful relationships, including to prevent document with five priority areas; health and violence and sexual assault’.xii This will build on the wellbeing, housing and homelessness, safety, ACT Government’s 2015-16 Budget commitment economic security and leadership and domestic of $615,000 for ‘social and emotional learning violence investment. The plan does not articulate programs’, amounting to $2,500 per school.xiii
OUR ROLE IN PROGRESSING GENDER EQUALITY YWCA Canberra is part of a global movement working in 101 countries. Together we are working towards to goal of ‘100 million young women and girls transforming power structures to create justice, gender equality and a world without violence and war; leading a sustainable YWCA movement, inclusive of all women’ by 2035’. We provide professional development opportunities to women and girls across the ACT through a diverse range of leadership programs. In 2015-16, 14 students graduated with a She Leads Diploma of Management, currently 45 students are enrolled across three classes and are expected to graduate in
2016-17. A further 250 people attended our She Leads Conference and 100 college age young women attended our She Leads College Conference. We also deliver school-based leadership programs for girls in years seven and eight through our Y-Aspire program. In 2015-16 Y-Aspire was delivered to 110 girls in the Belconnen and Tuggeranong regions. YWCA Canberra also provides Great Ydeas grants of up to $2,000 to women and girls to pursue professional development opportunities, develop pilot projects, kick-start business ideas, or address a need in the community. Seven Great Ydeas grants were awarded in 2016. We also offer a Board Traineeship Program providing a unique opportunity for young women to gain experience in governance and holding directorships. In addition to the Traineeship Program, our Board has a quota requiring 30 per cent of our Board positions to be held by women age 30 or under.
POLICY ROADMAP FOR ACTION Gender equality will not just happen organically. It Applying a gender analysis to ACT Government needs to be driven by strong leadership, legislative policy must be routine, rather than an optional and regulatory reform, and appropriate resourcing. component of broader analysis framework. The economic and social benefits to the community Undertaking gender analysis must also be are too great to overlook this vital social adequately resourced and carried out by people policy reform. with the appropriate skill set. Experience from Australia and overseas The Victorian Government has committed to demonstrates that institutional location is critical establishing a ‘Gender Equality Act’ as part of its to advancing gender equity, and that the agency Gender Equality Strategy.xv The Gender Equality or office supporting Act will be based on gender equity needs to the gender equality be located in the chief legislation in Iceland, coordinating department which has had a Gender of government. Equality Act in place Gender equality will not just Recognition of this is since the 1970s, and expressed in the United is the highest ranked happen organically. It needs to Nations Beijing Platform country on the World be driven by strong leadership, for Action, which Economic Forum’s recommends that Global Gender Gap legislative and regulatory responsibility for driving Index. The legislation reform, and appropriate gender equity should be includes gender equality located at the highest education from early resourcing. xiv level of government. childhood to tertiary settings, quotas and Maximising the targets, parental support effectiveness of genderfor work and life and equality agencies or anti-discrimination, institutions requires: violence and sexual harassment strategies. • Clearly defined mandates, authority, and The Australian Bureau of Statistics trialled blind mechanisms for key functions; recruitment practices to address the gender • Adequate budget, resources and staff to disparity in senior roles. At the time of the trial implement the mandate; 21 per cent of ABS senior officers were women. • Strong political commitment; and During the recruitment process, they advertised • Location at highest possible level of 19 senior roles and concealed names and genders government. from recruiters. Recruiters were also trained in unconscious bias and the advertisements for the Government policy and budgets have a powerful roles also actively promoted flexibility in the work impact on social and economic inequalities in the environment. The process resulted in 15 of the 19 ACT. Expenditure and revenue measures have different implications for, and impacts upon, women positions being filled by women.xvi and men. Gender policy analysis and gender budget analysis can reveal these differing impacts and thereby help to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, accountability and transparency of government policy, as well as making significant contributions towards gender equality and the realisation of women’s rights.
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS That the ACT Government demonstrates its commitment to gender equality by: • Moving the Office for Women from the Community Services Directorate to the Chief Minister’s Department. • Appropriately resourcing the Office for Women to enable it to play a coordinating role in supporting all Directorates in working towards gender equality, and in ensuring that all legislation and policy contributes to gender equality. • Developing a Gender Equality Act that is based on successful international models and includes tangible quotas and targets. • Reinstating the gender budget analysis to ensure that budgetary decisions contribute to gender equality. • Introducing blind recruitment practices for ACT Public Services roles, including senior management roles based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics trial of blind hiring. • Increasing funding for women’s leadership programs and education programs focused on respectful relationships, economic participation, and addressing harmful gender stereotypes. • Holding a Summit on achieving gender equality in the ACT, involving Government representatives, not-for-profit organisations, and a diverse range of women from across the ACT community.
REFERENCES i The case for gender parity, World Economic Forum, http://reports.weforum.org/global-gender-gap-report-2016/the-case-for-gender-parity/ ii Gender pay gap costs country $195b, says economist, Adele Ferguson, Sydney Morning Herald, 9 March 2013 http://www.smh.com.au/national/gender-gap-costs-country-195bsays-economist-20130308-2fr2n.html iii ACT Women’s Plan, Australian Capital Territory, Canberra 2016, http://www.communityservices.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/912286/ACT-Womens-Plan_Report_16-26. pdf iv ACT Women’s Plan, Australian Capital Territory, Canberra 2016, http://www.communityservices.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/912286/ACT-Womens-Plan_Report_16-26. pdf v Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), (2013). Retirement and Retirement Intentions, July 2012 to June 2013. Cat No. 6238.0. ABS: Canberra. http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/ abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/6238.0Main%20Features3July%202012%20to%20June%20 vi Clare, Ross, (2014). An update on the level and distribution of retirement savings. The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia Limited (ASFA): Sydney. http://www. superannuation.asn.au/ArticleDocuments/1089/1403-LevelAndDistributionRetirementSavings.pdf.aspx vii Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), (2015). Average Weekly Earnings – May 2015. Cat. No. 6302.0. http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6302.0/ viii Ibid ix Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). (2013). 2012 Personal Safety Survey, Cat. No. 4906.0, ABS: Canberra. http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4906.0 x ACT Women’s Plan 2016-26, Australian Capital Territory, Canberra 2016 http://www.communityservices.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/912286/ACT-Womens-Plan_ Report_16-26.pdf xi Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), (2015). National Community Mental Health Care Database. Canberra: AIHW. http://www.aihw.gov.au/mental-health-data-cubes/ xii The Parliamentary Agreement for the 9th Legislative Assembly of the ACT xiii ACT Budget 2016-17, Safer Families, http://apps.treasury.act.gov.au/budget/budget-2016-2017/budget-booklets/social-inclusion/safer-families xiv United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, (1995). Global Platform for Action – Beijing. UN: New York. http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/pdf/BDPfA%20E. pdf xv Women Victoria, What Works, http://www.vic.gov.au/women/gender-equality/a-victorian-gender-equality-strategy/what-works.html xvi “Blind recruitment” trial leads to more female employees, SBS, June 2016 http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/06/02/blind-recruitment-trial-leads-more-femaleemployees
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