This symposium, jointly hosted by the QUT Centre for Decent Work & Industry and the TJ Ryan Foundation and supported by Old Government House, explored the contours of women and work, now and into the future.
Although women make up just over half of the Australian population and comprise close to half of the Australian workforce entrenched gender bias continues to exist across all stages of the career cycle. Women earn less than their male counterparts and are more likely to engage in precarious or part-time work. Women also continue to be underrepresented in senior management roles and women of colour, LGBTQ+ women, and women with disabilities are more likely to experience microagressions as professionals. However, although gender is a defining characteristic of contemporary work (and experiences of it) gender is rarely a focus of mainstream discussions of the future of work.
The program included the following presentations:
- Constructing a New Gender Contract for Australia – Marian Baird (Professor of Gender & Employment Relations, University of Sydney)
- #metoo @ work – Paula McDonald (Professor of Work & Organisation, QUT)
- Tax & Superannuation Policy: Why Gender Blind is Not Enough – Kerrie Sadiq (Professor of Taxation, QUT)
- Women, Entrepreneurship & Disability – Jannine Williams (Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management, QUT)
- Hon Grace Grace (Queensland Minister for Education, Industrial Relations & Racing)