Equal care may fix equal pay issue
LOCAL businesses need to reduce barriers for male workers to share caring responsibilities as a way to closing the 9.8 per cent pay gap for women in SA, according to the SA Chiefs for Gender Equity.
BUSINESSES need to reduce barriers for male workers to share caring responsibilities as a way to close the 9.8 per cent pay gap for women, according to the SA Chiefs for Gender Equity organisation.
More formal policies around gender-neutral parental leave, flexible work for men, and making “father time” an accepted norm – not an exception – were crucial, the group’s convenor, Dr Niki Vincent, said.
“Workplace policies that improve women’s workforce participation are a significant issue for the state’s economy.
“Society’s rigid gender stereotypes mean options to take parental leave, work part-time, or shorter hours can be particularly hard for men to access, but it doesn’t make sense to always expect women to sacrifice their careers.
“Research shows if women are supported to return to jobs part-time after the birth of a child, they will have more opportunities to reach leadership positions and higher salary levels.”
Dr Vincent’s comments come as the Federal Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) yesterday released data on the latest national and state pay gaps between men and women doing the same jobs.
The national difference between average weekly full-time earnings was 14.6 per cent with men taking home $244.80 more.
The 2018 Household Income and Labour Dynamics report found, on average, men spend 35.9 hours a week on paid work compared to 24.9 hours for women, 13.3 hours on housework compared to 20.4 hours, and only 5.4 hours caring for children, compared to 11.3 hours.
WGEA director Libby Lyons said the gap was at its lowest in two decades, but women still face major obstacles in accessing equivalent financial rewards for their work as men.
“It is shameful that Australian women working full-time need to work for, on average, an additional two months to earn what men earned in a year,” she said.
Victor Harbor CEO Victoria MacKirdy shares caring responsibilities equally with husband Hamish, a physiotherapist, for their five children, who are aged from five to 19.
“I wouldn’t use the word balance. It’s more blending our work lives with family responsibilities and doing what needs to be done,” Mrs MacKirdy said.
“I wanted to progress in my current position, so Hamish, who has his own practice, was able to stay home to look after Levi.
“I think most families would love the option, but workplaces need to be more tuned it to that as well.”
Support women to boost business
Niki Vincent
WITH the shambles in federal politics at the moment, I wonder what things may have been like with more attention paid to gender equity in Parliament.
Research shows businesses with higher numbers of women in leadership do better.
They promote diversity of thought, more innovative problem-solving, and a different approach to managing risk.
I guess we’ll never know if that could have helped the Turnbull Government, but I do wonder why SA business leaders aren’t doing more to promote workforce participation for women by removing some of the impediments they face.
It’s not just for the big end of town. There is a lot SA’s small and medium-sized businesses can do. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if you’re a bakery or a building company, every industry can benefit from designing strategies to attract and promote more women.
Employers need to understand why work can be such a stressful juggle for women with children, and what they can do to help.
Women returning to work often come back to a lower- level job, usually part-time. Many drop out of the workforce altogether.
A 2014 Household Income and Labour Dynamics Australia survey estimated raising children costs women a 17 per cent loss in lifetime wages. For many, the high cost of childcare, lack of paid parental- leave programs, and an inability to manage a rigid 9-5 schedule makes it difficult to work in the business world.
If we enable working fathers to step up and share the care with partners, the burdens on working mothers are eased – and they have a better chance to stay in the workforce.
We need bosses who say “yes” to requests for variations such as shorter hours, job shares, working from home, or access to parental leave. We need to get to the point where men shouldn’t take a hit to their careers for wanting to share care.
In fact, I’d like to see more male business leaders show the way themselves in this regard.
If women could be supported in continuing their careers after the birth of a child, household incomes would rise, consumer spending would increase, there would be more money for infrastructure with extra taxes, business would attract and retain talent, productivity would rise, and we’d have the workforce we need when the baby-boomers retire. A Grattan Institute report found boosting female workforce participation by as little as 6 per cent would increase the size of the Australian economy by around $25 billion.
Encourage staff to talk about the issues and what inclusive workplace policies may work for your business. Start where you can, even the smallest changes can help. Go to www.eoc.sa.gov.au for advice.
Dr Niki Vincent is the Commissioner for Equal Opportunity in SA and convenor of the SA Chiefs for Gender Equity.