Hello,
Nobel-prize winning physicist Marie Curie once said, “I was taught that the way of progress is neither swift nor easy”. Almost a century on from her death, it’s a statement that’s still dripping with relevance on this International Women’s Day.
Over the past 12 months we’ve witnessed encouraging steps in the right direction; high profile conversations have helped to destigmatise menopause, while parliamentary inquiries are investigating the medical gaslighting of women who live with endometriosis.
The last 24 hours alone have delivered news of the long-awaited addition of superannuation to the government’s paid parental leave scheme.
But perhaps most topically, given this year’s IWD theme: Count her in, 5000 Australian companies have published their pay gaps for the first time in a report by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency.
WGEA chief executive Mary Wooldridge said workers being able to see inside their own companies was a “significant step forward” for accountability.
Some, however, were left a little deflated by the data, as it failed to get down in the weeds of workplace inequality. While it provided a helpful overview of the structural issues that exist in most workplaces (Hint: Men generally progress further and faster than women) it couldn’t answer the long-held question on many women’s minds: Am I being paid less than a man to do the same job?
So, in the spirit of transparency, which is what the WGEA is all about, I thought – why not look a little more closely under our own hood at Nine; a vast media organisation with more than 4000 employees? Director of People and Culture (HR) Vanessa Morley joined me for a discussion about the work that has been done and the mountains that still need to move to achieve gender equality in our workplace. We will publish that on the site later this morning. Again, in the spirit of transparency we will publish the transcript almost in full. I hope you find the conversation as insightful as I did.
But here’s the thing about progress: It can be undone. And that’s why we can never take our collective foot off the pedal.
Months after women’s abortion rights were stripped back in America, Alabama’s supreme court has ruled that frozen embryos have the rights of children under the state’s wrongful death laws. While the decision has no bearing on IVF patients in Australia, it’s worth exploring the facts and fiction of infertility; an issue that is sadly too often dismissed as the result of a woman’s lifestyle choices. Our reporter, Merryn Porter, has taken a close look at this issue.
Of course today is also an opportunity to celebrate the kick-arse female trailblazers who’ve changed the game in entertainment and sport, from the mighty Matildas to the evolution of Beyonce and Greta Gerwig’s reframing of Barbie; they’ve all reminded us in their own way who runs the world. And that cowgirl hats are a necessary accessory in 2024.
Thank you for engaging with nine.com.au on International Women’s Day. Our team has worked thoughtfully to build a portfolio of content that hopefully reflects the many meanings of IWD to our many readers.
Cheers to progress – big and small,
Sylvia Jeffreys
This story first appeared on Radio Today