Gender and Sexuality
at Work

Visibly and culturally diverse women’s experiences of racial microaggressions in STEMM organisations

Dr Robyn Moore
School of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania 7001 Australia
Dr Meredith Nash
School of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania 7001 Australia
Institute for the Study of Social Change, University of Tasmania 7001 Australia

Abstract:
In this paper, we use an intersectional framework to explore how gender interacts with other aspects of identity, such as race, ethnicity and/or culture, to structure the microaggressions experienced by visibly and culturally diverse women in academia, industry and government. We focus on these women’s experiences to disrupt the normative erasure of race from the workplace diversity context. We conducted 30 semi-structured interviews with women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) organisations who self-identify as women of colour and/or women from culturally diverse backgrounds (henceforth women of colour). While women of colour share many experiences with white women, their challenges cannot simply be subsumed under gender. Rather, race and gender intersect to create overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination and disadvantage. Racial microaggressions can have a devastating impact yet may be invisible to members of the dominant racial group – those most likely to be women of colour’s peers and managers. White managers and peers can act as allies to women of colour by respecting and amplifying women’s concerns.

Women ‘working away’ from home in Australia

Prof Andrew Gorman-Murray
School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University 2751 Australia
A/Prof David Bissell
School of Geography, University of Melbourne 3053 Australia

Abstract:
This is an introductory exploration of the experiences of women ‘working away’ from home in Australia. Data are from an ARC project investigating how working away is transforming Australian household life, including 70 interviews with industry stakeholders, workers and at-home partners. Working away entails overnight travel away from home for days or weeks at a time. There is cross-sector growth in these labour patterns but impacts on personal and family wellbeing are not well understood. Notably, there is little research on the experiences of women working away. This paper focuses on this cohort in our sample (n=19). Our discussion concentrates on two sets of spatial experiences: at work and at home. Working away from home enables women to pursue desired careers and create distinct professional identities, but also brings challenges to emotional and physical health. Women also face challenges at home and in intimate relationships. Motherhood is a notable issue. For some, working away and mothering are incompatible, but others contest this claim and work away after motherhood. The findings contribute to scholarship on gender, work-related mobility and work/home relations. We encourage practical steps from companies, professional bodies and partners to help redress detrimental impacts on wellbeing and relationships.

The need for a father’s quota in Australia’s paid parental leave policy

PhD Candidate Ashlee Borgkvist
School of Public Health, University of Adelaide 5000 Australia

Abstract:
In Australia only 1 in 20 men currently take any Paid Parental Leave (PPL). More fathers take Dad and Partner Pay; however this provides little remuneration and government sanctioned time off from paid work. With more families now requiring dual incomes than in previous years, the organisation of work and home life in Australia would benefit from policy which facilitates a shared-care approach. Research suggests that providing a well renumerated parental leave policy specifically aimed at fathers can facilitate shared care immediately following birth and throughout a child’s life. The idea of a father’s quota in Australia’s PPL policy is not new, however is important to revisit given a quota has not yet been implemented. This paper will argue that Australia remains heavily reliant on the breadwinner model of caregiving and paid work, and this has impacted upon the implementation of a targeted leave period for fathers. Further, Australian research points to the desire of fathers to take longer periods of time off after the birth of a child, but lack of structural support and cultural norms around men’s involvement in paid work present barriers to fathers taking PPL. Implementation of a father’s quota would assist in providing practical assistance for families after the birth of a child and provide cultural and structural support for father involvement in the short and longer term.

Reflections of the Australian marriage equality debates

Dr David Betts
School of Humanities and Social Science, University of Newcastle 3011 Australia

Abstract:
This paper explores how the 2017 Australian marriage equality debates impacted how sexual and gender minorities engaged with their place of work. Drawing on findings from a larger project that focused on the Newcastle and Hunter response to the marriage equality postal survey, this paper asks how did workspaces operate as a support system for individuals exposed to incivility and harassment as a result of these debates, and what was the impact when workspaces lacked supportive policies. Results from interviews with participants (N=17) indicated that when workspaces were mindful of the potential impact of the marriage equality debates they could operate as a form of support. However, a significant finding was that when workspaces were not actively supportive it exacerbated the negative impact of the marriage equality debates and complicated the participants’ work-life interface. Implications of these results are that workspaces need to adopt proactive strategies to support the wellbeing of sexual and gender minorities, particularly during times of increased incivility as a result of public and heated debates on issues of equality.

Gendered power relations and sexual harassment in Antarctic science and remote fieldwork

Dr Meredith Nash
School of Social Sciences, University of Tasmania 7001 Australia
Institute for the Study of Social Change, University of Tasmania 7001 Australia
Dr Hanne Neilsen
School of Humanities, University of Tasmania 7001 Australia

Abstract:
Antarctica is a remote, historically white and masculine place. It is also a workplace, and the human interactions there are connected to power structures and gendered expectations. Today, nearly 60% of early career polar researchers are women (Strugnell et al. 2016). However, women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) are 3.5 times more likely than men to experience sexual harassment during fieldwork (Clancy et al. 2014), making questions of safety, power, and harassment particularly pertinent. Gender equity initiatives coupled with #MeToo have provided new platforms for reporting sexual harassment and challenging problematic research cultures which position science as meritocratic and gender-neutral. Yet, the impact of #MeToo in Antarctic science is uneven and has not always been addressed through an intersectional lens. The termination of Prof. David Marchant is widely cited as evidence that #MeToo is positively affecting Antarctic science. We argue it is problematic to focus on individual cases at the expense of the wider culture. We examine the complex historical (e.g. gendered interactions with the Antarctic landscape), cultural (e.g. identity politics), and relational (e.g. gendered power dynamics) tensions underpinning recent #MeToo revelations in Antarctic science with a view to providing more nuanced approaches to structural change.

Women and precarious employment in young adulthood

Dr Andres Molina
Youth Research Centre, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne 3053 Australia

Abstract:
Women disadvantage in the labour market has been a persistent feature in many countries around the world. The rise of precarious forms of employment in the last two decades has created new forms of work disadvantage for women. Using longitudinal data from 494 participants in the Life Patterns project and multivariate linear regression modelling, this study finds that women engage significantly more than men in precarious work between the ages of 24 and 31. Despite attaining higher levels of education than men, women are still more likely than men to be employed under precarious conditions. Engaging in precarious employment is also explained by participant’s social background, degree of engagement in studies and, to a certain extent, by their occupational status and marital status. However, none of the social background, occupational status, educational level and family condition variables considered in this study seem to explain why women engage more in precarious employment. The findings suggest that it is unlikely that women chose to be in precarious jobs due to their social or family conditions, and that the reasons for their disadvantage may relate to persistent unequal labour market conditions for women.

Socio-political Attitudes Track Gendered Fitness Interests within Individual Lifetimes

Dr Khandis R. Blake
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne 3011 Australia
Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, UNSW Sydney 2031 Australia
Prof Robert C. Brooks
Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, UNSW Sydney 2031 Australia

Abstract:
Socio-political views often have a gendered dimension, with different positions along the conservative-progressive axis favouring women’s versus men’s interests. Parents’ views on a variety of such topics have been observed to differ in relation to the sex of their children1-7 or other genetic relatives8, leading to the suggestion that socio-political attitudes track the reproductive fitness an individual is expected to obtain from their male versus female descendants (their ‘gendered fitness interests’). Using a longitudinal, intergenerational dataset spanning 34 years, here we show that changes in an individual’s socio-political attitudes correspond with changes in their gendered fitness interests, with traditional gender attitudes increasing as individuals gain fitness via male descendants and decreasing as they gain fitness through female descendants. Our results support the theoretic prediction that individuals’ interests are almost never aligned with just their own sex and may go some way to explaining why average sex differences in attitudes that have a gendered dimension are often small. The theory of GFI provides a novel and surprising form of biological support for the idea that binary gender is neither fixed nor distinctive as a factor in socio-political identity.

Structural stigma and sexual orientation disparities in healthcare use: Evidence from Australian Census-linked-administrative data

Ms Karinna Saxby
Centre for Health Economics, Monash University 3800 Australia
A/Prof Dennis Petrie
Centre for Health Economics, Monash University 3800 Australia
Dr Sonja Kassenboehmer
Centre for Health Economics, Monash University 3800 Australia

Abstract:
Structural stigma (legislative and sociocultural constraining factors) contributes to health inequalities in sexual minorities, however, it is unclear whether this stigma also influences healthcare service and medication use. Addressing this gap, we map the regional-level responses to the Australian 2017 postal survey on same-sex marriage legislation to Census-linked-administrative data covering 75% of all Australians, including 83,167 individuals in same-sex relationships. Controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and regional fixed effects, we then estimate the extent to which structural stigma is associated with the use of medical services and prescription medicines for individuals in same-sex vs. heterosexual relationships. Compared to their heterosexual counterparts, an increase in the percentage of votes against same-sex marriage was associated with less GP use and additional nervous system related prescriptions for females (n=40,929) and males (n=41,859) in same-sex relationships. Increasing stigma was also associated with reduced pathology services and anti-infective prescriptions for men in same-sex relationships. Our results suggest that sexual minorities in stigmatised regions have poorer mental health but are less likely to use primary healthcare services. This highlights the need for interventions to improve health and healthcare access for sexual minorities, particularly in regions with high structural stigma.

Finding the courage to conduct classroom conversations about gender-based violence

Prof Helen Cahill
Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne 3011 Australia
Dr Babak Dadvand
Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne 3011 Australia
Ms Katherine Romei
Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne 3011 Australia
Ms Keren Shlezinger
Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne 3011 Australia

Abstract:
In this paper, we draw on interview data collected from 85 school leaders and 159 teachers to discuss forms of emotional, political and pedagogical labour that teachers encounter when implementing a wellbeing and gender-based violence prevention program. Our findings show tensions between the participants' moral impulse towards opening conversation about the sensitive and often silenced topic of gender-based violence and their apprehensions about the possibility of causing undue distress to colleagues and students. They reported heightened anxiety around managing disclosures and responding to community concerns, whilst grappling with experiences of gender-based violence within their own lives and/or those of their colleagues. At times, their efforts were additionally thwarted by lack of adequate scheduling within the school timetable. Our research shows that school-wide support structures were needed to enable uptake of the program. This included professional learning opportunities, proactive psychosocial support from school leaders and colleagues, involvement of wellbeing professionals, guidance on communicating with parents, and comprehensive training around managing disclosures.

Where have all the cases gone?

A/Prof Alysia Blackham
Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne 3053 Australia

Abstract:
Women report experiencing high levels of age discrimination in work. At present, addressing age discrimination in employment primarily relies on individuals bringing a legal claim. Do women pursue their rights through public court processes to challenge discriminatory conduct? Drawing on qualitative and quantitative analysis of all reported Australian cases relating to age discrimination in employment, this paper argues that women appear substantially underrepresented in age discrimination decisions. This implies that women are less likely to pursue an age discrimination claim to the point of a publicly accessible case decision. It is unclear, however, whether this means women are less likely to use the legal system to challenge age discrimination, or whether they are pursuing other forms of recourse (such as a claim of sex discrimination). This paper offers three key implications. First, relying on individuals to identify and address systemic discrimination is likely to be ineffective. Second, the limited data published by Australian equality agencies makes it difficult to conclude whether women are pursuing other legal avenues or failing to utilise legal mechanisms at all. Third, there is a need for more creative legal mechanisms to address discrimination, such as positive duties on employers.

The role of gender in the relationship between psychosocial job stressors, work-family imbalance, and sleep quality in Australian working parents

PhD Student & Research Fellow Anna Scovelle
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne 3053 Australia
Dr Tania King
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne 3053 Australia
Ms Marissa Shields
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne 3053 Australia
A/Prof Adrienne O’Neil
School of Medicine, Deakin University 3216 Australia
A/Prof Allison Milner
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne 3053 Australia

Abstract:
The current study uses data from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey to examine whether gender is an effect modifier in the relationship between psychosocial job stressors (job demands, job control, job strain, and job security), work-family imbalance (work-family conflict and family-work conflict), and sleep quality in a sample of employed parents. Data from 2791 men and women between the ages of 18-64 years in paid employment were included in the analyses. We conducted linear regressions with gender as an interaction term, controlling for relevant confounders. Our findings demonstrated that in employed parents, psychosocial job stressors and work-family imbalance were associated with poorer sleep quality. Adjusting for work family imbalance attenuated the associations between psychosocial job stressors and sleep quality. Furthermore, we revealed that gender is an effect modifier in the relationship between job security and sleep quality, whereby there is an association between low job security and poorer sleep quality in men, but not women. Previous evidence has indicated that improving working conditions and reducing psychosocial job stressors enhances employee wellbeing. Our findings suggest that targeting work-family imbalance and job stress may have the potential to aid employee sleep quality.

Silenced and invisible work experience of trans* and gender diverse individuals in intersectional identity relation

Mx Robin Ladwig
Faculty of Business, Government & Law, University of Canberra 2617 Australia

Abstract:
The integrative literature review demonstrates a gap about work experience and career development of trans* and gender diverse (TGD) individuals in Australia in the literature of organisation and management studies as well as gender, queer and trans studies. The investigations of career development and work reality of TGD individuals have been either completely overlooked or included in research about LGBT identities without distinguishing between the different experiences of sexual and gender minorities. Future research agenda should include TGD perspectives for a better understanding of intersectionality, performativity, and the interrelation of gender and work identity. By recognising the intersectionality of work and gender identity for TGD individuals as well as their work experience such as enablers and barriers could encourage the development of gender equity for all gender identities. Voices of TGD individuals - to express their demands and concerns - have been silenced through the cycle of exclusion containing harassment, stigmatisation, and discrimination at work. By including TGD perspectives and inviting TGD people to the table of organisational and managerial decision-making, diversity at the workplace gets a chance to thrive.

Gender system justification predicts decreased blame towards perpetrators of sexual harassment

PhD Candidate Morgan Weaving
The University of Melbourne 3011 Australia
Prof Cordelia Fine
The University of Melbourne 3011 Australia

Abstract:
Sexual harassment is a pervasive social problem with serious physical and psychological repercussions. Whilst the #MeToo movement has shone a spotlight on the issue, public reactions to perpetrators remain divided. Building on system justification theory, we argue that this division can be explained by individual differences in the desire to safeguard the gender hierarchy. To investigate this claim, we conducted a correlational study (n = 185) to examine whether gender system justification predicts perceptions of sexual harassment as unintentional and benign, and whether this leads to decreased blame judgements towards perpetrators. Results largely supported our hypotheses: we found that individuals who are high (vs. low) on gender system justification are more likely to view sexual harassment as unintentional and harmless and are less likely to blame perpetrators. Additionally, our analyses revealed that the effect of gender system justification on blame was mediated by differing perceptions of harm, but not intent. These results suggest that the exoneration of perpetrators may be motivated by a desire to maintain the status quo of gender relations, and that this motivation may result in the interpretation of evidence in a manner that favours exculpating perpetrators.

Gender norms as predictor variables of earnings

PhD Candidate Jane Wakeford
Research School of Economics, Australian National University 0200

Abstract:
Gender norms within the family home can change outcomes in the workplace. This paper studies how the norms of females, and their male partners, affects the likelihood of female breadwinners; implicitly, labour force participation, hours and earnings. A new instrument or proxy variable is created to address causality concerns. Conformity to traditional norms, by a woman or her partner, lowers female labour market activity. Adherence to norms has a potentially larger impact on female labour supply than common economic variables, such as education. If every person in society had progressive gender norms, this would increase female breadwinners from 20.76% to 37.78%, necessarily helping close the gender pay gap.

Sharing the load: does household employment configuration impact on the mental health of mothers, fathers and children?

Dr Tania King
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne 3053 Australia
Ms Marissa Shields
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne 3053 Australia
Dr Sean Byars
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne 3053 Australia
Anne Kavanagh
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne 3053 Australia
Lyn Craig
Melbourne School of Social and Political Sciences, The University of Melbourne 3053 Australia
A/Prof Allison Milner
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne 3053 Australia

Abstract:
The past 50 years have been marked by increasing female labour-force participation. It is popularly speculated that this may impose a mental health burden on women and their children. This analysis aimed to examine the associations between household-labour-force participation (household employment-configuration) and the mental health of parents and children. Seven waves of data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children were used, (2004-2016, children aged 4/5–16/17 years, respectively). Mental health outcome measures were Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire scores (children/adolescents), and Kessler-6 (parents). A five-category measure of household employment-configuration was derived from parental reports: both full-time, male-breadwinner, female-breadwinner, shared part-time employment (both part-time) and father full-time/mother part-time (1.5-earner). Fixed-effects regression models were used to compare within-person effects after controlling for time-varying confounders. For men, the male-breadwinner configuration was associated with poorer mental health compared to the 1.5-earner configuration (ß=0.19, 95%CI 0.03-0.35). No evidence for associations were observed for either women or children. This counters prevailing social attitudes, suggesting that neither children nor women are adversely affected by household employment-configuration, nor are they disadvantaged by the extent of this labour-force participation. The mental health of men appears to benefit from female labour-force participation.

Changes over time in gay men’s working lives

Dr Peter Robinson
School of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, Swinburne University of Technology 3122 Australia

Abstract:
Based on interviews with 82 gay men, aged 18–87 from eight international cities, this paper examines changes over time in their principal work narratives. Analysis of the data which the interviews provided was undertaken thematically and organized by three age cohorts: an old cohort of men aged 60 and older, a middle cohort of those aged 45–60, and a young cohort of interviewees aged 45 and younger. Analysis of the data revealed a number of principal narratives which interviewees drew on to account for their working lives what work meant to them. These narratives included the (possibly predictable) ‘creative’ narrative but also (the less predictable) ‘work-as-work’, which referred to ordinary, everyday jobs which workers have found in factories, shops, workshops, and department stores in order as to earn a living. Other narratives included work for ‘social and political change’ and one concerning ‘care’ work. Principal narratives varied by age cohort and were historically contingent. For the old cohort, work-as-work was the dominant narrative, while for the middle cohort, care work was the dominant narrative. For the young cohort, creativity appeared for the first time as a narrative and was the principal one for these men. Apparent also in the stories young gay men told was evidence of the contribution anti-discrimination legislation was having in their improved working lives.

Identifying Trends, Assessing Response: Gender Representation at The Royal Opera

Dr Caitlin Vincent
School of Culture and Communication, The University of Melbourne 3010 Australia
Dr Jordan Beth
Deakin Motion.Lab, School of Communication and Creative Arts, Deakin University 3125 Australia
Dr Amanda Coles
Deakin Business School, Deakin University 3125 Australia

Abstract:
In June 2019, the Royal Opera in London joined the Keychange Initiative and pledged to achieve 50/50 gender parity across its creative teams by 2022. On the surface, this presents as a productive strategy to address a lack of representation in the Royal Opera’s creative hiring outcomes. However, the commitment to achieving 50/50 gender parity across “all creatives” can be seen as problematic when framed within a specifically operatic context. This article analyses the creative teams hired by the Royal Opera over twelve performance seasons, from 2005/06 to 2017/18, and examines trends in gender representation in five key creative roles: stage director, set designer, lighting designer, costume designer, and projection/video designer. Drawing on this data, the article establishes an initial benchmark of industry trends around gender representation in these roles and highlights the limitations of the Royal Opera’s 50/50 strategy.

Motherhood and creative practice in academia

Dr Simone O'Callaghan
School of Creative Industries, University of Newcastle 2308 Australia

Abstract:
This short paper examines the challenges faced by female academics in the creative industries, particularly when they are creative practice-based researchers – i.e. those who using creative practice as rigorous enquiry to interrogate research questions. The academic and cultural ecosystem in which these women need to operate is theoretically explored through three key current barriers that prevent parable career opportunities for all parents.

Exploring the causes and consequences of work-family conflict in Australian parents: Gendered risks and opportunities

Dr Liana Leach
Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University 2601 Australia
Dr Amanda Cooklin
Judith Lumley Centre, School of Nursing and Midwifery, La Trobe University 3086 Australia

Abstract:
The demands arising from the combination of work and family roles can generate difficult conflicts (work-family conflicts) for mothers and fathers. This paper outlines a range of research findings which seek to: a) identify the barriers and supports (both in work and family life) that impact on parents’ ability to successfully combine work with care, and b) understand the potential consequences of work-family conflict for family relationships and mental wellbeing. The findings reported in this paper are drawn from two large data sources: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) and the Families at Work (FAW) study. Our findings show that greater work-family conflict significantly contributes to poorer quality family interactions as well as poorer mental health for parents and children – this is the case not only for mothers’ work-family conflict, but also for fathers’. We also show that there are gendered patterns in the risks/contributors to work-family conflict (e.g. WFC peaks at lower work hour thresholds for mothers than fathers). The theoretical and practical outcomes of research in this area are rapidly evolving (to reflect ongoing transitions in gender norms and expectations), and the research we report contributes significantly to this ongoing progression.

Recruit Smarter: Better hiring practices for gender equality

Dr Michelle Stratemeyer
Senior Consultant, dandolo partners

Mr Daniel Feher
Senior Policy Officer, Inclusion and Reform Branch
Multicultural Affairs, Department of Premier and Cabinet

Ms Rachel Tulia
Executive Director, Corporate Delivery Services
Department of Treasury and Finance

Plenary Session

The final session will discuss the future of research and engagement in gender and sexuality at work. We will present the results of the conference registration survey and a panel of academics, community and industry experts will discuss them and provide their insights on gaps and opportunities for better research in this area.