The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has recently taken the Cross Agency Gender Equality Network (CAGEN) ‘baton’ from the formidable Department of Industry, Science and Resources team, and will be the CAGEN Chair for the next 12 months.
Creating a gender equitable culture
Realising gender equity across organisations takes time, effort, and attention.
That’s because we are often trying to shift culture and individual perceptions, not just policy.
While there are many ways we can create more equitable organisational cultures, it’s often weaving together complementary strategies that can be the most effective in winning employees over.
At the ACCC, we try to bring these strategies together to establish an equitable organisational culture.
Here are three strategies your team and agency can consider in creating a gender equitable culture.
Education
For most organisations this will be the ‘go to’ strategy. Think intranet articles, forums, and so on. Stay high-level and succinct with your messaging. Make sure content is high-quality at all times - it lends credibility to your cause. Ask yourself the question, ‘What is the one or two things you absolutely want employees to know in their already busy day?’
Most organisations do this well, but education can sometimes be the only strategy that gender equity advocates utilise. It won’t be sufficient to win hearts and minds, which is where action comes into play…
Action
Taking small, meaningful everyday actions to support gender equity can make a huge difference.
At the ACCC, we ran a small trial introducing menstrual products across all employee facilities. This was so well received by employees, that it has been funded on an ongoing basis. Such small, everyday actions demonstrate that your organisation will back their word on gender equity.
Advocacy
Finally, advocacy is critical in showing you aspire to go beyond just your organisation to support gender equity. At the ACCC, we have had employees involved in informing OECD Gender & Competition research, assist with submissions for the Maternity Act Review, and run data analysis to track and socialise our gender pay gap and where we can do better.
Advocacy not only shows you are serious, but it also allows your employees to contribute to meaningful work that creates a more equitable culture.
We are sharing these ideas not to say that we have an equitable culture, but to encourage all gender equity advocates to be bold in reaching others as we create inclusive and equitable organisational cultures for all.
If this article has sparked ideas for you or your equity network, please contact us directly. The ACCC’s CAGEN team at the ACCC cagen@apsc.gov.au we would love to hear from you.