Men outnumber women almost two-to one in senior academic positions in Australia’s universities. But there is a way that female academics can play a vital role in bridging that gap.
Peta Credlin is in the classic “double bind” of all women in power: if they take charge, they transgress the gendered expectations that “female qualities” are best suited to a supporting role.
An admission: last year I wore a bubblegum pink t-shirt. The occasion? Cancer Research’s Race for Life. If I told you that I only ever wear black and grey, you might be rather surprised. Indeed, I have…
A rarity for university vice-chancellors.
Hand shake via Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock
Only 20.1% of university vice-chancellor and principals are women, according to a new report from the Equality Challenge Unit. This wide gender gap at the top of universities makes it all the more vital…
Gail Kelly leaves Westpac with women holding 45% of senior leadership roles in the bank.
Dean Lewins/AAP
The announcement of Gail Kelly’s departure as Westpac chief executive is a real and symbolic loss for women, many of whom see her as a role model. Women in Australia now make up just 3% of CEO roles in…
A Fijian election officer shows a ballot to scrutineers at the 2006 election. Last month’s election resulted in a stronger vote for female MPs.
AP Image/Peter Williams
In a region that has long had the worst representation of women in politics in the world, Fiji’s recent election delivered some good news: one in seven Fijian MPs are women, while the parliament now has…
The proportion of women in the Australian news media has grown, but in general men still rule the newsrooms.
EPA/Yoon S. Byun
As I write this I can hear a clique of blokes guffawing at morning news conference. Not a woman at the table … We are marginalised and excluded by the blokes’ club because admitting women would change…
An overwhelming majority of university leaders in Australia are male.
Flickr/David Burke
Women make up 64% of Pro Vice Chancellors, 65% of Deputy Vice Chancellors and 77% of Vice Chancellors in Australian universities. Would such a headline cause a reader to re-scan the article to make sure…
Along with deductions, write-offs and reconciling accounts, Australian businesses have ended the financial year with their second report on diversity strategy and compliance with the ASX Corporate Governance…
In most of our workplaces and institutions there are subtle, cumulative, insidious judgements and responses that serve to reinforce the powerful status quo of leadership.
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Accounts in the media over the past week explain, or rather rationalise, the downfall of our first female Prime Minister. One-time feminist warrior Eva Cox found that Julia Gillard failed to communicate…
Australian women are increasingly occupying senior international roles.
Image sourced from www.shutterstock.com
At a time of much hand-wringing around the future of manufacturing in this country, especially in sectors dominated by foreign multinationals, we might take solace in the emerging efforts of an under-appreciated…
The idea that women bring “special” qualities to a boardroom is actually counterproductive to increasing their participation.
Shutterstock/Andrey_Popov
There is a common theme in public debate on gender diversity – a focus on the unique benefits women bring to boards, the warm, inclusive and ultimately unquantifiable merits of a gender diverse boardroom…
A germaine point… lost in the furore around comments over Julia’s jackets was a genuine insight into the relationship between power and attire.
AAP/ Lukas Coch
Germaine Greer had been responding to a questioner on the ABC’s Q&A program (March 19, 2012), who asked what advice the panel would give to the Prime Minister Julia Gillard on her image problem. Gillard’s…
Onwards and upwards: using quotas and targets could pave a leadership path for more women.
www.shutterstock.com
Despite great aspirations and considerable effort towards attaining more women in leadership, progress over the last 10 years has at best been slow, as a recent report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics…
Australian women are still significantly under-represented in senior management positions.
AAP
The 2012 Australian Census of Women in Leadership, released on Tuesday, paints a mixed picture of gender equality in the workplace. According to the Census report, women now hold 12.3% of ASX 200 directorships…