The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has today announced the list of 2017-18 WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality (EOCGE) citation holders.
A record 120 organisations have received the citation this year, which recognises employer commitment and best practice in promoting gender equality in Australian workplaces.
WGEA Director Libby Lyons said the steady growth in the list indicated that the business benefits and competitive advantage gained by improving gender equality in Australian workplaces were becoming ever more widely recognised.
Trends among this year’s recipients include:
- entrenching organisation-wide flexible work
- programs to support women into leadership
- tailored parental leave policies to support use by both women and men
- initiatives to attract women into male-dominated roles
- supporting men’s caring responsibilities
- robust analysis and correction of gender pay gaps.
“I am particularly delighted to see some of the innovative and exciting initiatives by our EOCGE citation holders covering, amongst other things, flexibility, paid parental leave, supporting women in leadership and addressing gender pay gaps,” said Ms Lyons.
“WGEA data shows there is continuing momentum and progress towards gender equality in Australian workplaces. However, it also highlights the accountability gap between having a policy or strategy in place and being held accountable for delivering results.
“Leadership and accountability are essential if real progress is to be made in shifting the entrenched gender divisions in Australian workplaces. That is why the work of our EOCGE citation holders is so important. It is only through more employers showing this type of leadership and accountability that we will see the pace of real change increase.
“I congratulate all the 2017-18 citation holders for their commitment to and recognition of the many benefits improved gender equality can bring to their business. These employers are setting the benchmark and the pace for other Australian workplaces to follow.”
2017-18 EOCGE citation holders range from small professional services firms to very large organisations including universities and banks, with male-dominated, female-dominated and mixed industries represented.
“It is encouraging to see some new citation holders this year in fields as diverse as engineering, manufacturing, insurance, IT and entertainment,” said Ms Lyons.
“Each industry and each business has its own gender equality challenges. We are confident that all our citation holders are driving change in their own organisations as well as playing a leadership role to promote gender equality across their industries and in the wider community.”
Contact: Murray Black 0438 071 876 / murray.black@wgea.gov.au
About the citation
The WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality (EOCGE) citation is designed to encourage, recognise and promote active commitment to achieving gender equality in Australian workplaces.
The EOCGE citation commenced in 2014, replacing the predecessor citation, the EOWA Employer of Choice for Women. The citation is strategically aligned with the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 (Act), reflecting the change in focus of the legislation to promote and improve gender equality for both women and men, while recognising the historically disadvantaged position of women in the workplace.
The EOCGE citation is a voluntary leading practice recognition program that is separate to compliance with the Act.
Criteria for the citation cover leadership, learning and development, gender remuneration gaps, flexible working and other initiatives to support family responsibilities, employee consultation, preventing sex-based harassment and discrimination, and targets for improving gender equality outcomes. Criteria are strengthened each year to reflect best practice.
Prerequisites will continue to be strengthened year-on-year to drive continued progress.
New prerequisites for 2017-18 focus on strengthening accountability about flexible work.