Gender equity

Analysis and Comment (17)

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The inclination to see differences between men and women makes us blind to their similarities. Daniele Civello

Gender differences: more fictions than fact?

By Stephen S Holden

We see gender differences everywhere – in the psychology, thoughts and behaviour of men and women. But the inclination to see differences makes us blind to the overwhelming similarities of men and women…
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Onwards and upwards: using quotas and targets could pave a leadership path for more women. www.shutterstock.com

Targets and quotas: a two-pronged approach to increase board diversity

By Thomas Clarke, University of Technology, Sydney and Alice Klettner, University of Technology, Sydney

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…
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Ageing men are seen as an especially lucrative niche sector. Sean MacEntee

What to make of modern medicine’s attention to men

By Alan Petersen, Monash University

Women have long been subject to intrusive biomedical interventions. And the control that modern medicine exerts over women’s bodies has been the focus of much feminist activism. Men are usually seen as…
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Policies of austerity are a fundamental burden on low-income earning women in the UK. Image from www.shutterstock.com

Women are paying the price for economic austerity

By Diane Elson, University of Essex

Since 2010, many European governments have adopted austerity policies in an attempt to reduce the budget deficits and increases in government borrowing that were caused by the 2007/8 financial crisis…
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We need to take a better look at the role women can play in the Millenium Devlopment Goals. AAP/EPA/Harish Tyagi

Challenge 11: How improving women’s status helps us all

By Mel Dunn and Danielle Logue, University of Technology, Sydney

In part 11 of the multi-disciplinary Millennium Project series, Danielle Logue and Mel Dunn note the striking absence of male voices in discussions of women’s empowerment, despite it being fundamental…
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Having more women in parliament might bring broad benefits. AAP

Want a strong economy? Elect more women

By Dinuk Jayasuriya and Paul Burke

Gender equality and female empowerment are development buzz words with bite. And with good reason. Researchers have shown gender inequality in education reduces economic growth and women are typically…
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The health and finance sectors have the largest gender wage gaps, of more than 30%. Jerry Bunkers

Time is running out to close the gender wage gap

By Eva Cox, University of Technology, Sydney

Equal pay was, and still is, one of the key demands of feminists. Basic to any idea of gender equity should be that paid work is fairly rewarded, whether it’s undertaken by a male or female. In early…
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Jose Maria Vasconcelos (or Taur Matan Ruak) is the new president of East Timor, but will he do more for the women in his country? AAP/Antonio Dasiparu

East Timor: new President, same problems for women

By Sara Niner, Monash University

The recent election of José Maria de Vasconcelos, or Taur Matan Ruak as he is known, to the Presidency of Timor-Leste is not good news for women in that country. Adding yet another member of the male…
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Julia Gillard’s recent leadership battle provides a lesson for all executive women. AAP

How the gender balance increases the company bottom line

By Rosemary Howard

Today is the 101st anniversary of International Women’s Day, a day celebrated around the world to mark the legal, political, social and economic achievements of women. The change in corporate governance…
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Carla Bruni’s daughter Giulia will never officially be known as a mademoiselle after the French government changed its policy. EPA/Thibault Camus

Ms, Miss, Mademoiselle … why titles for women matter

By Lauren Rosewarne, University of Melbourne

Alongside sketchy rationales like postponing the whole rat race thing, a pivotal reason that I got my PhD was to avoid the Miss/Ms conundrum. As first world a problem as is imaginable, but it plagued me…
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Australian Service Union branch secretary Sally McManus is showered in streamers after Fair Work Australia awarded community workers a landmark pay rise. AAP

The reality of the gender wage gap

By Eva Cox, University of Technology, Sydney

As long as people see the gender wage gap as normal, society has a problem. This view is illustrated in a comment by Jeremy Sammut on a Centre for Independent Studies email newsletter: “Forget that the…
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There is an entire history of excuses given for why women shouldn’t be given roles in the military. Australian War Memorial Collection

Women in Australia’s military: On the frontline of the gender war

By Michelle Smith, University of Melbourne

The recent plan to see women take on frontline combat roles in the Australian military from 2016 removes one of the last formal barriers to women’s participation in all realms of work. Unsurprisingly…
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Saudi women are still segregated from men in many walks of life, but next year they will get the right to vote. AFP/Fayez Nureldine

Vote now on a socially inclusive Saudi Arabia as women get to cast their ballot

By Fiona Hill, Deakin University

While Saudi women celebrate their hard-earned right to vote in next year’s Municipal Council elections, the frenzy of international media interest highlights just how mysterious this country remains…
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Promoting men’s care responsibilities to be equal to that of women might be quite a challenge. Chris. P

What could gender equity goals for men’s well being look like?

By Richard Fletcher, University of Newcastle

Achieving equity between men and women requires keeping track of important markers of difference between the genders. While the focus has traditionally been on areas where women are most disadvantaged…

Research and News (3)

Research Briefs (3)

Empowered women have less sex

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Sub-Saharan African women who are empowered to make household decisions tend to have sex less often, according to a study…

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