Victorian Gender Equality Strategy
Discussion Paper

Table of Contents

Message from the Minister

Theme 1: Education

Theme 2: Workforce participation and economic security

Theme 3: Leadership

Theme 4: Health and wellbeing

Theme 5: Violence against women and girls

Theme 6: Culture, sport and innovation

Common definitions / glossary

Message from the Minister

We want everyone to live in a state where all Victorians, regardless of their gender and gender identity, have equal opportunity to live, work, learn and play.

Although women have made great gains in the workplace, as leaders in business, politics and in a range of innovative activities and enterprises, there remain persistent challenges to gender equality. The Gender Pay Gap stubbornly resists reduction. Equal representation on corporate boards remains elusive. And violence against women and children continues to plague our communities, presenting our state with its greatest law and order problem.

According to the World Economic Forum, the world will not reach gender parity for another 117 years.

We’re not prepared to wait that long. We think Victoria can do better.

That’s why our Government is committed to developing Victoria’s first Gender Equality Strategy. We want the strategy to help improve the lives of women with clear objectives, practical actions and measurable targets so that we can track our performance over time.

We believe that advancing gender equality increases women’s economic security, safety, health and wellbeing by encouraging a society based on respect and equality. But it also has tangible benefits for Victoria’s productivity and economic prosperity, by enabling more women to reach their potential.

Since November last year, we have been engaging in consultations with women and men across the state to discuss how best to achieve gender equality for all Victorians. Firstly, through an open submission process, then online through our #Vicforwomen hashtag and now in a roadshow of metropolitan,regional and sector specific discussions.

This discussion paper:

  • summarises relevant themes and priorities emerging from the submission process; and
  • sets out key questions for further consideration and discussion at consultation sessions that are being held across Victoria.

We will be using the feedback this discussion paper generates to create Victoria’s first ever Gender Equality Strategy by December 2016.

We look forward to hearing from you through this consultation process and hope you will share our excitement about the prospect of Victoria’s first Gender Equality Strategy driving a significant increase in gender equality throughout the state.

Fiona Richardson MP
Minister for Women
Minister for Prevention of Family Violence

Theme 1: Education

Gender equality needs to start with children and young people.

From an early age, children learn stereotypes about the sort of jobs available to them; theyoften understand jobs as either boy or girl jobs. Childcare and early education settings can reinforce such stereotypes, through the types of play and toys that are seen as appropriate for boys and girls, and in primary school the way we teach everything – from literacy to mathematics, to history and physical education – impacts early understandings of gender.

By secondary school, stereotypes have often become entrenched and begin to be reflected in the educational choices young men and women make about tertiary studies and employment opportunities. For example, women remain significantly underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Understanding how the messages we send to girls at a young age shape their later career choices, is essential to challenging gender inequality.

Girls and women with Aboriginal backgrounds,English as a second language, older women, women with disabilities and gender diverse communities often experience additional disadvantage and barriers to education.

Stakeholder views on what action is required:

  • Ensure gender is given active consideration throughout the development of early childhood and school education policy, programs and practices (significant work is already underway through the Building Respectful Relationships resource).
  • Implement initiatives that encourage girls and young women to study and become leaders in traditionally male dominated fields and professions. For example, creating partnerships between schools and universities to expose women to STEM careers at a young age.
  • Enhance visibility and pathways to rural STEM education and work options, particularly among disadvantaged groups.

Key questions:

  1. What initiatives and strategies would make the most critical difference in this area?
  2. What systems or programs do you know of that challenge gender stereotypes and promote gender equality in education? What lessons can we learn from this experience?
  3. What tools or resources do early childhood centres, schools, TAFEs and universities and the teachers and students who work within them, need to advance gender equality education and women’s equality?

Theme 2: Workforce participation and economic security

Representation at work

While women's workforce participation continues to increase, it is still over 12 per cent lower than men's. This figure is even lower among CALD, Aboriginaland older women and sexually and gender diverse communities. Despite women graduating from tertiary institutions at a higher rate than men, women can expect to receive a lower rate of pay upon graduation. This gender disparity begins at the start of a woman’s career and can worsen over the life course.

Research suggests that half of all mothers experience discrimination during pregnancy, parental leave or return to work.[1] Long work hours and inflexible conditions often deter women from returning to work after having children. Addressing pregnancy and other forms of sex discrimination as well as stereotypes about working mothers’ commitment to their careers must be a priority of our community. Both women and men stand to benefit from having greater access to flexible work arrangements so career and family can be balanced in a more equitable way.

Affordable child care is also critical: Victorian mothers may choose not to return to work as they will be financially worse off.

With women also taking on the responsibility of caring for aging parents, the lack of flexible workplaces is also having an impact on women’s economic independence and post retirement lifestyle.

Economic security

Over their life course, women experience economic disadvantage. Lower graduate pay, lower lifetime earnings, lower superannuation and lower savings contribute to an overall reduction in the long term financial security of women. Leadership from the Government, corporate and industry sectors on pay and superannuation equity and the strengthening of fair work entitlements are critical to closing the gender pay and superannuation gaps.

Stakeholder views on what action is required:

  • Develop and disseminate a workplace guide on effective flexible working arrangements. This should actively encourage flexible work for all roles, promote arrangements for all genders, create the right culture and enable supportive organisational policies.
  • Victorian Government recognition (similar to the WGEA Employer of Choice) for employers that go over and above in supporting women’s workforce representation and enabling women’s financial security.
  • Embed the Fair Work Ombudsman's principles related to pay equity in the Victorian Government’s procurement policy and funding of all contracted agencies. These include a requirement for transparent remuneration policies and practices and the use of gender equity pay audits.
  • Advocate for core changes to superannuation including payment of superannuation contributions on Commonwealth Paid Parental Leave, lowering the threshold for not paying superannuation contributions[2][3], and superannuation ‘top-up’ to recognise the needs of women on lower incomes and in caring roles.
  • Provide carer respite services, financial supports and flexible health and wellbeing services to people with caring responsibilities.

Key questions

  1. What initiatives and strategies are in place in your community or organisation to promote gender equality in workforce participation and economic security for women?
  2. What leadership and oversight could the Victorian Government provide to support gender equity in workplaces?
  3. How can a state government assist women with the ‘juggle struggle’ of managing workforce participation while also bearing the greater burden for caring for children, households and aging parents?

Theme 3: Leadership

Despite a healthy pipeline of female talent and women who aspire to lead, women continue to be significantly underrepresented in senior leadership positions.

Women’s full and equitable participation in political, economic and public life not only signals the value we place on women, but is critical to achieving gender equality. Women leaders are more likely to prioritise social issues such as pay equity, parental leave, child care, gender-based violence and poverty reduction.

It is critical that we address those factors that impede women’s progression including unconscious gender bias in decision-making, a‘boy’s club’ culture (within some male dominated industries), and less access to sponsorship which is often critical to women’s progression into senior roles.

Under-representation in leadership roles and on senior bodies is even more pronounced for women from CALD communities, women with disabilities, LGBTI Victorians, and women who are socio-economically disadvantaged.

Stakeholder views on what action is required:

  • Establishing quotas for women (including specific groups who are even more underrepresented) in leadership in parliament, government departments and government boards.
  • Victorian Government recognition (similar to the WGEA Employer of Choice) for employers that go over and above in supporting gender equality in leadership.
  • Amendment to Victorian Government procurement policy and funding guidelines to require that funded agencies undertake a gender audit, including the extent to which organisational culture, policies, systems and practices actively support women’s representation at senior levels.
  • Develop practical resources (workplace guides and training) that assist workplaces to apply a gender lens and promote gender balance in leadership, i.e. tools to enable organisations to implement 'gender conscious' recruitment, selection and promotion; engage in sponsorship of women; address bias of all kinds; and adopt a more gender inclusive definition of leadership capability.
  • Continued use of public campaigns (such as the Honour Roll) celebrating women’s achievements and demonstrating diversity in leadership positions.

Key questions:

  1. What initiatives and strategies for women’s leadership and development would make the most critical difference in this area?
  2. How could quotas and targets be used to drive behavioural change towards gender equality in public and private sector organisations?
  3. What initiatives and strategies are in place in your local area or organisation that are working well?
  4. Are there particular actions that should be taken to increase development and leadership opportunities for CALD communities, Aboriginal women, women with disabilities, LGBTI Victorians and women who are economically disadvantaged?
  5. What role should local government and local community organisations play in advancing gender equality so that responses are appropriately tailored to the uniqueness of Victorian communities?

Theme 4: Health and wellbeing

Gender is a significant determinant of women’s health and wellbeing. Gender inequities in terms of lower pay, higher caring responsibilities and higher overall workloads affect women’s physical and mental health.

The experience of sex discrimination and harassment also contributes to poor health outcomes for women and violence against women is the leading cause of ill-health and premature death for women aged 15-44.

Those women at significant risk of poorer health outcomes include: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, women in rural and remote areas, women with a disability, economically disadvantaged women, LGBTI Victorians and women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

The sexualisation and objectification of women can also impact negatively on women’s health and wellbeing, leading to dissatisfaction with body image, low self-esteem and high rates of eating disorders.

The advent of social media has introduced more direct and intrusive ways for negative stereotypes and sexual harassment to be delivered to women. The rise of online ‘trolling’ of women who use social media platforms to champion gender inequality is also becoming a social health problem.

Stakeholder views on what action is required:

  • Ensure gender is given active consideration throughout the development of health policy and programs, so as to ensure women’s experiences are reflected when planning for and improving the delivery of health services, especially by specialist women’s health organisations.
  • Set gendered targets and partner with community health organisations to close the gap in life expectancy of Victorians with a mental illness and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.
  • Increase the availability of appropriate, specialist, non-discriminatory and culturally-sensitive health services, especially for girls and women living in regional and rural areas.
  • Track the health impacts of gender inequality on Victorian women, including the impact of discrimination in the workplace and online.
  • Encourage women’s participation in sport and physical activity through increased funding, social marketing, access to facilities that cater for womenand through increasing the profile of women in sport.

Key questions

  1. What Victorian Government actions would have the greatest impact for women’s health and wellbeing?
  2. How do we strengthen women’s health and wellbeing in rural and regional areas?
  3. How can universal health services be leveraged to improve outcomes for women and girls?
  4. Do you know of any initiatives adopted by health services or local government in your area to address the particular and diverse needs of women?

Theme 5: Violence against women and girls

There is significant evidence linking gender inequality and violence against women.

Levels of violence against women are significantly higher in societies, communities and relationships where there are more rigid distinctions between the roles or men and women.[4]

The national framework, Change the Story[5]highlights the need to address the gendered drivers of violence against women as a priority, such as:

  • shifting support for attitudes, beliefs, behaviours and practices that condone violence against women;
  • equalising access to power and resources between women and men;
  • encouraging and supporting children, young people and adults to reject rigid gender roles and identities; and
  • challenging male peer cultures that reinforce stereotypical and aggressive forms of masculinity.

Stakeholder views on what action is required:

  • Challenge popular cultural attitudes and norms about femininity and masculinity through a broad ranging media and leadership campaign.
  • Ensure all Victorian Government published materials show men and women in a diversity of roles, with an emphasis on positive representations of Aboriginal women, women with disabilities, culturally and linguistically diverse women and LGBTI Victorians.
  • Promote workplace programs that challenge harmful expressions of masculinity and sexism.
  • Develop partnerships between state government, local government and health organisations to bring to scale local initiatives, particularly in relation to Aboriginal women, women with disabilities, refugee and immigrant women, older women and LGBTI Victorians.

Key questions:

  1. What are the key areas that the Victorian Gender Equality Strategy should focus on, recognising that gender inequality contributes to violence against women?
  2. What unique factors does the Victorian Government need to keep in mind for particular groups of women and communities?
  3. Are there other actions that should be taken to ensure a lasting and sustainable reduction in violence against women and girls?

Theme 6: Culture, sport and innovation

Women’s cultural activities, sports and business innovations often receive less investment from government and the private sector than those of men.

Despite the barriers to financial support, including opportunities for sponsorship, Victorian women have found themselves creatively adept at establishing unique women’s cultural activities and events.

We want to harness this organic commitment to women’s culture, sport and business innovation in Victoria so that our state is the go to for women entrepreneurs of all kinds.

To do that will require applying a gender lens across government grant opportunities but also developing specific strategies that support women’s entrepreneurialism in the arts, sport and new business development.

Victorian’s love sport. As a highly visible and valued part of Victorian culture and identity, sport has the capacity to challenge gender stereotypes and discriminatory attitudes, to promote core values of fairness and respect and lead by example. Having more women involved in more sport more of the time, promotes health and well-being, is empowering and builds social capital.

Despite its potential as a key lever for change, sport in Victoria remains culturally dominated by men. Most leadership roles are held by men. More men and boys participate in sport than women and girls. Media coverage is predominantly focused on male sports, and there is a significant disparity in the economic rewards available for sportsmen as opposed to sportswomen.

Stakeholder views on what action is required:

  • Provide support and training for new and existing networks and community groupsthat promote and encourage women’s entrepreneurialism and participation in sport.
  • Increase the number of safe, accessible, inclusive and equitable sporting environments and venues across Victoria.
  • Introduce gender audits and gender equality interventions across all settings, including sporting organisations, supported by resources and tools.
  • Encourage professional sporting organisations to remunerate sportswomen to the same level as their male counterparts.
  • Use print and social media for effectively to celebrate women’s achievements in sport and entrepreneurial roles.
  • Increase the number of dedicated funding grants to support the development of entrepreneurial ventures by culturally and gender diverse women.

Key questions:

  1. What current initiatives within the arts and cultural life of Victoria promote women and gender equality? How can government help to promote and grow these initiatives and events?
  2. What Victorian Government actions would make the most critical difference to promoting women’s entrepreneurialism?
  3. How can the Victorian Government best assist in ensuring more equitable access to high quality sports facilities for women and girls?
  4. How can the Government best influence cultural change in sporting organisations and clubs, to embed gender equality and the need for respectful relationships?

Common definitions / glossary