Why gender balance delivers business benefits
A new national report that aims to drive gender-balanced brands and inclusive workplaces has highlighted the property industry’s determination to bring a wider range of perspectives to policy development.
Building a Gender-Balanced and Inclusive Presence: Test the Messages You Project was launched by the Male Champions of Change Sport who, throughout 2017, systematically audited the public face of their organisations to address cultures that may, or may appear to exclude, women.
The report details high impact actions drawn from more than 25 case studies provided by MCC organisations such as Cricket Australia, Football Federation Australia, Unilever, Medibank, ANZ and the Property Council.
The case studies featured within the report are inspiring.
CSIRO is determined to challenge stereotypes of the “mad scientist” by sharing the stories of its diverse workforce to attract new talent and partners.
Cricket Australia decided to rename the Southern Stars to the Australian Women’s Cricket Team to position its female sportspeople on equal footing with their male counterparts.
Mining company South32 re-engineered equipment to expand the available workforce and challenge the perception that drilling activities are for men only.
And the Property Council has committed to achieving gender balance at its 3 annual events, with a live dashboard tracking the diversity of speakers and attendees at all events in real time. Progress is reported at each board meeting. Gender balanced panels are now the norm, and the campaign has extended to promote equality in audiences at Property Council signature forums.
Property Council chief executive Ken Morrison says ensuring a diversity of perspectives is now a strategic priority for the property sector.
“If you are only presenting a male ‘face’ to the world, then you are effectively telling women it is not a place for them,” Morrison says.
“Organisations need the best talent to be successful, so unwittingly turning people away on the basis of gender makes no sense.”
Male Champions of Change (MCC), established in 2010 by then Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, is a coalition of chief executive officers, government department secretaries, non-executive directors and community leaders working to achieve a significant and sustainable increase in the representation of women in leadership.
The Property Council established the Property Male Champions of Change in 2015 to drive greater gender equality in the property industry and increase the number of women in leadership roles.
MCC founder and convenor of the Sport Group, Elizabeth Broderick, says the activities showcased in the report are not “pink washing or window-dressing”.
She says “simple and significant actions” can help organisations build a “more relatable brand presence”, and “advance the way women are welcomed, engaged, valued and celebrated across a range of sectors”.
Download Building a Gender-Balanced and Inclusive Presence: Test the Messages You Project.