Donors ‘can drive equality’

CORPORATE philanthropy is the latest target in the drive to help women in the workplace, with a push for all donations to come with “gender strings attached”.

In a new report, the lobby groups, the Champions of Change Coalition and Australians Investing in Women, argue corporate giving could become a powerful lever for accelerating gender equality.

Sam Mostyn (pictured), the chair of AIIW, said “we need to pull every lever to achieve gender equality. Philanthropic dollars are limited – being more intentional about bringing women and girls into focus brings the greatest opportunity for social change”.

Professor Doug Hilton, director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, and a member of the CCC, said there should be “gender strings” attached to funding to ensure inequity was not perpetuated.

If left to chance, for example, male scientists could “get their hands on philanthropic money” ahead of women, simply because there were more men in senior, eligible ranks, he said.

“It doesn’t mean all philanthropy should go to support gender equity or diversity programs,” he said.

“It just needs to be balanced.”

The challenge was for donors and recipients to think about funding in the context of promoting equity.