Gender Equality in the Workplace

The Hon Kate Ellis MP
Minister for the Status of Women

This is the speech given by the Federal Minister at the Women and Leadership Australia’s National 2011 Adelaide Symposium.

The Minister talked about gender equality in the workplace, including some of the evidence around the economic implications, and the economic benefits, of gender equality for Australian businesses and the country’s economy. In order to be internationally competitive, Australian companies need to have women represented at every level of their company because it makes good economic sense.

She also addressed another area in which the evidence base is growing, which is around the role of men in gender equality. The big surprise in the evidence was that gender equality is not about women. Women cannot achieve it alone. Men must be partners in gender equality for it to be effective.