There are many different themes for International Women’s Day 2023 to highlight gender equality and how far we are away from it. Rather than just talking about what the issues are, in this podcast I share with you some strategies and actions that both individuals and organisations can take to make incremental changes to help move the needle in a positive direction.
What would you like to see change and improve? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode and what ideas you have.
In this episode I talk about:
- Why we need to support women going on maternity leave so they feel engaged and have a positive return to work experience? This group of women is often forgotten, but when this journey is well managed, it can potentially support having female leaders.
- Value of creating a community
- Why we need to #sharetheload in the home to create equality and this has a ripple effect into organisations, along with greater sharing of caring responsibilities between both parents
- Providing flexible work options and it isn’t a one size fits all approach
- Value of gender-neutral leave policies and why we need to pay superannuation on parental leave
- Importance of affordable childcare to support female workforce participation
- Mental load in the workplace
- Why you should engage your employee in creating policies and frameworks regarding your DE&I strategy
- A reminder that it is ok to ask for help
Lastly, please don’t assume women will have all the answers. Yes, we are great at problem-solving, but gender equity of a societal program and trying to overcome literally hundreds of years of patriarchal systems. The goal is clear and we all need to work together.
If you have an idea, please have the confidence to speak up, and if your company does not want to listen, well as Annabel Crabb said this week “anyway, don’t work for dickheads“.
