The story of Amelia and William is fictional, but based on data from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA). Watch it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBzngdRLEPA
Clearly we still have a long way to go to achieve gender equality in the Australian workforce.
This is Amelia’s story, but it doesn’t have to be yours.
Consider the following:
1. Check employer’s commitment to gender equality. Gender equality in the workplace is about equal access to rewards, resources and opportunities regardless of gender. Making sure your employer or potential employer is committed to gender equality can help to ensure you face fewer barriers in the workplace. To start, you can take a look at your employer’s WGEA report. But remember what’s on paper isn’t always reality, so make sure you talk to current employees as well to get a sense of what it’s like on the ground.
2. Negotiate on pay and know your value. Australia’s national gender pay gap sits at 14.2% so it’s worth understanding the current market rates for your role by consulting salary surveys, current job ads, etc. You need to be aware that industry, organization size, role responsibilities and location will affect salary rates. So be careful to use comparable data. You could also contact a recruiter.
3. Use parental leave and flexible work arrangements. Find out what your flexible work and parental leave entitlements are as this will vary greatly from company to company. WGEA has an “employee flexibility toolkit” which outlines how to negotiate and manage a successful flexible working arrangement. Employee flexibility toolkit (wgea.gov.au)
4. Keep track of your superannuation. The fact is women retire with on average about half (58%) the superannuation balance of men, and one in three Australian women retire with nothing in their superannuation. If you’re on maternity leave or a stay-at-home mum, it’s highly likely you’re not getting paid any super. However, there could still be options to consider, including contribution splitting, spouse contributions and the government co-contribution. It’s worth getting in touch with a financial expert.
5. Share the care and domestic work. I think this one goes without saying! However, according to the AHRC stats, women spend almost twice as many hours each day performing unpaid care work compared to men (64.4% of the total work day for women, 36.1% for men).
Want to know more, or get support? Contact us at hummingbirdcareers.com.au/contact
