Gender Fairness – How can we help it along?

Well what a pleasure it was to host a mini workshop for Bendigo’s “Women in Figures” event.

Participants engaged in a networking activity using  our Gender Fairness cards, resulting in some calls to action and suggestions that we, as individuals can adopt that will positively affect the futures of our daughters, nieces, and grand-daughters as they move into adulthood and take on exciting careers.

Here is a list of what was posted on the wall

• Be aware of your own gender bias
• Encourage young kids (boys and girls) to aim high
• Be visible and let people know you can contribute
• Encourage women to apply for leadership/senior roles
• Encourage children to play with a range of toys, not just gender stereotypes
• In the home, encourage sons to complete the same tasks as daughters
• Don’t settle for the easy jobs, keep volunteering for more challenging opportunities
• Men can share the care of their children
• Be decisive, AKA the boss!
• Support your daughters to do maths and science
• Support the women in your work and don’t be a party to negative comments about them
• Have males organize more social events, like Christmas parties and staff lunches
• Equal work within the family life
• Speak loudly so that your voice is heard
• Encourage self-belief and the confidence to stand up and be noticed
• Challenge equality by sharing responsibilities at home and at work
• Lead by example. You have more influence on others than you believe
• Don’t let people push you into a role because they see it as a better fit. Stand up for yourself
• Don’t stop asking until the question is answered to your satisfaction, and be prepared to listen
• Advertise your positive traits and don’t put yourself down
• Step out of your comfort zone and offer to work on jobs that are usually only given to males
• Compete with no one but yourself
• I do the cooking, he does the washing. Partnership!
• Learn to back yourself
• Be loud and proud of your achievements
• Lead by example at work and to younger people, treat and communicate equally to everyone
• Be a mentor for a young professional, encourage and inspire
• Have pride in a job well done
• Train our children to be confident in what they do
• Go for it, have integrity, and maintain a good work ethic

What is your advice for the next generation of young female professionals?

By Georgena Stuckenschmidt