When the women of Australia started their march towards equal rights almost half a century ago, they envisaged broad-ranging changes. Today, women make up slightly less than half the total workforce. But bastions of male privilege remain - none more so than the company boardroom. Women account for less than one in 10 private company directorships. And while women earn 16% less than men in overall terms, in the financial sector they earn up to 32% less. In this Talking Point, we look at the glass ceilings and quotas that continue to impede women inside the boardroom and out.
Featuring
Narelle Hooper
Narelle Hooper is the editor of the Australian Financial Review’s BOSS magazine. She has reported on Australian business and financial markets for nearly 20 years across print and electronic media.
Narelle is a former senior writer with the Australian Financial Review, finance correspondent with ABC Radio current affairs programs AM and PM and presented weekly business programs on Radio National and co-presented SBS TV’s The Business Show.
Narelle studied journalism at Canberra University. She has a Masters of Management (Financial Management) from Macquarie Graduate School of Management. She is a member of the Women in Leadership committee at the American Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Sydney Advisory council of the Centre for Social Impact and a member of the Walkley Foundation advisory board. Her focus is on improving the quality of leadership and decision-making in business and national affairs.
Helen Szoke
Helen Szoke commenced as Chief Executive of Oxfam Australia in January 2013. Prior to this appointment, Helen served as Australia’s Federal Race Discrimination Commissioner, following seven years as the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner.
She is currently Co-Chair of Make Poverty History, an ExCom member of ACFID, a member of the Deakin University Master of International and Community Development Advisory Board, a member of the Advisory Committee for the Centre for International Mental Health and a member of the Mining for Development Advisory Committee.
In 2011, Helen was awarded the Law Institute of Victoria Paul Baker Award for contribution to Human Rights. Helen has extensive experience in management, community development, organisational development, consumer advocacy and regulation in the education and health sectors. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration.
Margaret Alston
Professor Margaret Alston AO is Professor of Social Work and Head of Department at Monash University.
Margaret was appointed an honorary professor at Sydney University in 2005 and Charles Sturt University in 2009. At Monash University she has established the Gender, Leadership and Social Sustainability (GLASS) research unit. Previously she was at Charles Sturt University for 21 years, most recently as professor of social work. In 2010 Margaret was awarded one of Australia’s highest honours, the Medal of the Order of Australia, for services to the community, social work and to rural women. She has also been engaged as a UN gender expert by the Gender Division of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), studying gender and climate change for 2008-2010.
Carol Schwarz
Carol Schwarz AM is a visionary leader who works with innovative people, organisations, systems, leaders and communities to achieve transformative outcomes.
Carol is a woman who has had an impact on all aspects of Australian society through her business achievements and her involvement in one of this country’s most diverse portfolios of board appointments in both business and government. She is currently involved in developing high-level solutions to rectify the dearth of women in leadership positions in Australia through her latest venture, Women’s Leadership Institute Australia.