International Womens Day, Tuesday, is a global celebration of the economic, political, and cultural achievements of women. This year’s theme is #BreaktheBias
Women are playing an important role in protecting their communities against the effects of climate change. They are educators, advocates, and decision makers in the face of the ongoing devastation caused by flooding in NSW and QLD.
The built environment plays an important role in changing the climate and preventing the damage to communities that we are seeing from these floods.
Nicola Grayson, Consult Australia chief operational officer, said that she strongly encourages women to consider a career working in the natural and built environment. The Fifth Estate.
Women are well-positioned to enter this industry. What better industry to start in than the one that invests in climate and helps the economy recover after COVID-19? These skills are going to shape Australia for decades to follow. It is a great time for people to enter the industry and pursue leadership opportunities.
Despite incentives like Property Champions of Change or the NSW Government’s Investing in Women Funding Program, architecture and construction remain overwhelmingly male-dominated in the built environment sector.
Ms Grayson believes that mentoring and interventions like this are crucial to gender equality in the natural as well as built environment sectors.
Being able to have someone in leadership support me was a huge help and helped me move forward. Looking back, I can see that there were two or three people who had a huge impact on me and helped me navigate through difficult waters. I was fortunate enough to have these role models, but I know that many women aren’t.
Leaders can play a huge role in women’s leadership development. It is important to champion women in the business by highlighting their achievements and breaking down the network of promotion and recruitment.
Figures courtesy of UCAS, University Admissions OrganisationResearch shows that although 51.5 percent of undergraduates enrolled in architectural programs are women, this number rapidly drops when they enter the workforce. Only 29.6 percent of registered architects are women. According to ARB.
The Australian Institute of Architects called for states and territories recently to adopt policies to promote women in the construction sector. Tony Giannone, National President, praised the Victorian governments Building Equality Policy, (BEP), which was in effect at the start of the year.
The BEP implements onsite quotas and apprentice-trainee requirements, as well as a requirement that suppliers develop Gender Equality Action Plans. These plans will help encourage change to the deeply ingrained construction culture in an ongoing manner. They will apply to all publicly-funded construction projects in Victoria with $20 million or less. Contractors will need to monitor complete supply chains. The BEP is preceded by Victoria’s Gender Equality Act 2020 as well as Women in Construction Strategy 2019-22.
Victoria’s economy must rebuild from the COVID-19 crisis. We can’t go back to how things were. The pandemic taught us that workplaces can adapt and adjust, and this policy will allow us to use the recovery for improved conditions for women in construction, Tim Pallas MP (Victorian Treasurer and Minister of Economic Development and Industrial Relations) said.
Mr Giannone stated that gender equity is still a major issue in Australia and in the construction industry in particular.
The gender pay gap is still significant, with women earning $7.72 per $10 for men and women earning an average of $25,800 less than men. [a year]. This gap was only 0.5 percent smaller over the past 12 months, which is unacceptable.
For state and territory governments to demonstrate leadership and drive change, they must formulate gender equality policies in the built environment.
Experts are pointing out that hybrid work/remote work could lead to gender inequality because men are more likely than women to return to the office, while women are more likely not to choose to work remotely.
Dr Leonora Risse is a senior lecturer in economics at RMIT University. She is also the national chair of Women in Economics Network.
This does not mean that women should be forced to return to work or the office full-time. Employers need to be inclusive and thoughtful about how they support and recognize all workers. To reduce these gender-patterned biases, we should encourage men and women to consider hybrid arrangements, so that they can be more involved in the home lives of their families.
Ms Grayson asserts that men as much as women are responsible to lifting women up and breaking gender bias at work.
It is important to not ignore poor behavior and to speak up about it. Be aware of your language and behavior and ensure that you are addressing the issue appropriately. Women need support, and women should not be the ones speaking up. We need to be supported by others.
She also said that women should be willing to take on leadership roles with all that they have.
My biggest piece would be to make the leap. I was skeptical about taking on leadership roles. I was asked by another woman, “Why aren’t you taking this chance?”
We all doubt ourselves. It is important to forget those negative voices and embrace the opportunity. It doesn’t matter where the opportunity comes from. You need to grab it and run with it.