Quotas ‘ key to equality’
TOWNSVILLE could be on track to becoming Australia’s first gender equal city but first its business people, like people everywhere, need to realise there is still a problem, according to diversity expert Julie McKay.
Ms McKay, a former executive director of UN Women Australia and a gender adviser to the Australian Defence Force, said the presence of so many women in key leadership positions in Townsville was significant.
She said it could be that the city was on track to making “real progress”.
But she added: “I don’t think those women are symbolic of equality ... this is not just about placing the responsibility on their shoulders.”
Ms McKay, a partner for diversity and inclusion in Price- waterhouse Coopers, was keynote speaker at the Townsville Business Women’s Circle International Women’s Day function which was also supported by the North Queensland Cowboys.
Ms McKay said business had to realise equality had not been achieved.
Just 2 per cent of CEOs in Australia’s top listed companies were women, there was still an 18 to 20 per cent pay gap in Australia and one in three women experienced domestic violence.
“A country that tolerates ( domestic violence) is simply not a country that will realise gender equality,” Ms McKay said.
At the heart of the statistics on domestic violence was a belief among many men that they were entitled to treat women like that, Ms McKay said.
“Power is portrayed through physical violence,” she said.
Ms McKay said sexist language and the myth of meritbased selection needed to be confronted.
“Trying to disrupt that is really important,” Ms McKay said.
She said quotas for having women in leadership positions was the only measure which had worked to deliver substantial disruption to the norm around the world.
“Countries that have made significant progress around women’s leadership ( and) economic security have been the countries that have brought in quotas,” she said.
“In Australia I don’t think we have the political courage for quotas to be introduced but I think they will be.
“Five years from now we’ll end up with legislated quotas because we won’t have made progress.”