It'll Take 80 Years to Close the Gender Gap.

We Can't Wait That Long

Naomi Simson Jun 22, 2015

I was recently challenged by a finding from the 2014 Global Gender Gap

Report: it will take until 2095 or 80 more years to achieve gender parity

in the workplace. 80 more years until the worlds available talent is fully

optimised. We wouldnt wait 80 years to implement any other business

initiative, so why are we waiting for this one?

As a participant in the 2015 Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Winning Women

Program, I have access to a wealth of information and research. Particularly

learning and understanding more about the opportunities across all

industries for women entrepreneurs, and also where the gaps currently lie.

EY has shared with us the 9th Global Gender Gap Index an initiative

introduced by the World Economic Forum as a framework for articulating

and understanding the magnitude of gender-based differences and tracking

this progress over time.

As the report notes, one thing that is very compelling in current studies in

this field is that companies that include more women at the top levels of

leadership tend to outperform those that dont. We are seeing examples of

this awareness in organisations such as The Ventura Co-Working Space

a self-labelled tech hub, Australias first space for female-led tech start-

ups.

We are in a time of change it seems there is far more attention paid to

this issue than when I was 22. My father had suggested that I should learn

how to touch type in case my marketing career didnt take offat the time

I thought maybe he was right! So I dutifully went off in my Uni break and

did a course. It did not concern me that this was a very traditional female

job or that my fathers comments could be stereotyping I guess I just

dont see the world in those terms. I see the world as an opportunity to

make the best of what you have. Seize the day and play to your strengths.

So what of this gap? In 2012, Federal Parliament passed

legislation requiring businesses with more than 100 employees to report on

their performance against gender equality measures. Organisations with

more than 500 employees are now required to put in place strategies to

support and improve gender equality and advance equal remuneration and

flexible work arrangements. It is clear we still have a long way to go despite

this, given Australia was ranked 24th overall in global results no country

in the world has fully closed the gender gap, but all five Nordic countries

have closed more than 80% of it.

So what can we learn from them? The success of the Nordic countries in

closing the gender gap is attributed largely to high education levels and

high levels of tertiary enrolment offering more pathways to success for

both genders. In Norway, Sweden and Iceland, there are over 1.5 women

for every man enrolled in university. What we can see from this is that

culture plays a HUGE role in these disparities, but we also need to look at

their economies, their mandatory paternal leave in combination with

maternity leave (through social insurance funds and employers), their tax

incentives and their post-maternity re-entry programmes. All these things

are cultural and must be examined for what they are. Every countrys

government is lobbied by different movements, affected by different levels

of economic concern each government needs to prioritise spending and

allocation of it. Unfortunately, Australians have not been given such

luxurious opportunities when it comes to parental leave hence why there

is often more men in the workplace that have higher level jobs. Put simply,

our reality is driven by our governments priorities most of the time. What

we choose to make of it is an entirely different issue, and one that I wish

to dwell on.

If it is meant to be, it is up to me. Not up to my government, my family,

my mentor or my employer. YOU are the change and you are the voice.

There are opportunities for a balanced voice, and we must see these for

what they are. I am very passionate about balanced voice not one or the

other. It is the continual reminder of the gap that allows us to fall into a

false sense of security in our ability to blame it on someone else. To actively

empower ourselves by using our skills, talents and voices we can be a role

model and inspiration to others. Janine Allis says If I can do it, anyone

can do it.

We give these labels and use terminology such as gender gaps and

disparities, but do we profit from them? Are they constructive?

I would suggest that whilst an understanding and rigorous analysis of

gender gaps is a critical component of our own self-awareness, it should

not rule our judgement and perception of opportunity. At the end of the

day, we only have 24 hours to play with. How we choose to use these hours

is up to us spending it over-analysing does not allow us to be passionate

about what we love; or act with purpose and persistence on those projects

or challenges we are so motivated to succeed in.

EY has recently launched Women. Fast Forward focusing on accelerating

growth by harnessing the potential of female entrepreneurs worldwide.

Challenging women to think bigger, gain access to capital, learn from their

peers and find advisors all these elements are about seizing opportunity,

and playing to your strengths. I am so behind this initiative and look

forward to further reporting on its success.

Be that voice. Be that balanced voice.

Naomi Simson is the founding director of Australian online tech success

story RedBalloon and REDii. She has written more than 900 blog posts

at NaomiSimson.com, is a professional speaker, author of Live What You

Love and is one of five Sharks on TENs business reality show Shark

Tank to return in 2016.