For many in the built environment, the conversation around sustainability is limited to carbon and energy; it is assumed that sustainability equates solely with environmental concerns. However, the UN SDGs provide a far more complete framework of sustainability which includes environmental concerns but also equally highlights social and economic imperatives. We will be highlighting one of the 17 SDGs every week and relating it to how your business can help achieve these goals.
SDG 5: Gender Equality
This week we will be discussing SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. This goal will first be elaborated with the help of three targets of this goal.
Target 5.1
End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere. This goes beyond discrimination through legal frameworks, but any discrimination or inequality experienced based on sex.
Target 5.2
Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres. Women experience violence both domestically and in the workplace which includes psychological violence like bullying and sexual intimidation.
Target 5.5
Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life. This target strives for an equal gender representation in the boardroom and an equal proportion of men and women in leadership roles.
Gender Equality in Australia
Women experience different types of discrimination in the workforce and the one that is probably the most discussed is the gender pay gap. This is currently at 14% according to the ABS, meaning that women earn on average 14% less than men in a full-time job. This is due to 85% of Australian employers who pay men more than women on average.
Furthermore, the Australian Human Rights Commision shows us that half of the Australian mothers have experienced workplace discrimination as a result of their pregnancy or parental leave. You can click here to read a story of a woman whose promotion was revoked because she wanted to take her entitled maternity leave.
Then there is also more basic stuff that still needs attention. For example, according to the National Association of Women In Construction there is not even a women’s toilet on some Australian construction sites. This organisation also discusses sexual harassment and sexism in a male dominated industry which makes women that work in construction feel underappreciated and bullied.
Even though women make up half the country’s workforce, they are severely underrepresented in the boardroom. Numbers from the Australian workplace gender equality agency shows that 74% of the boards have over 60% men and 22% of the boards only consist of men.
Links with other SDGs
To make an impact on gender equality in Australia is more extensive than you think when you consider the relation with the other SDGs and your impact in these areas.
- SDG 3: Men’s mental health is largely overlooked, 75% of suicides in Australia are men
- SDG 4: Education: There is gender inequality in education
- SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth: There is gender inequality in the labour market, especially in leadership roles females are underrepresented
What can you do?
- Share the household chores
- Look out for each other, watch for signs of domestic or workplace violence
- Support parents in the workplace
- Vote for a woman
- Educate yourself, learn about the struggles both men and women face by listening to each other
What can your business do?
- Assess and report on gender equality in your own business
- Who’s in charge? Make sure men and women are equally represented in leadership roles
- Pay men and women equally for equal work
- Establish a zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of violence at work, including verbal/ and/ or physical abuse and prevent sexual harassment
- Provide a safe environment for reporting discrimination and harassment
- Support men and women in childcare with parental leave and providing childcare services
- Provide anti-gender bias training to your employees
What does sustainable development mean to you?
Do you want to know how your business can make an impact towards a sustainable future and help work towards the end of hunger in Australia?
Our Ready Reckoner self-assessment will help you understand how you can be the change you want to see.
Further reading
Australia’s gender equality scorecard
Australian Bureau of Statistics: Gender Indicators
Australian Human Rights Commision: Face the facts: Gender Equality
