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Centre for Workplace Leadership

Gender and Sexuality
at Work

A Multidisciplinary Research and Engagement Conference
Tuesday, 18 February 2020
#GSWC2020

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Gender and sexuality are two critical dimensions of human life and greatly influence the way people connect with various aspects of work.

Key Dates

26 August 2019

Call for papers opens

Find out more

20 December 2019

Registration opens

Find out more

20 December 2019

Final program released

Program

18 February 2020

Gender and Sexuality at Work Conference

Purpose

This conference has been designed to bring together talent from academia and the broader public and private sectors (both for-profit and not-for-profit) to participate in respectful, professional and rigorous debate about gender and sexuality at work.

We aim to learn from each other, to find better ways to work together in building the knowledge base required to address gender and sexuality at work in healthy and productive ways.

Learn more

Why participate

As presenters, you will have the opportunity to:

  • showcase your research, which may be especially beneficial for Early Career Researchers and Higher Degree Research students
  • receive early feedback from peers with shared research interests
  • develop new research partnerships
  • connect with other academics
  • discuss the implications of your research to the broader community and pitch your research ideas to potential partner organisations.

Additionally, two Best Paper Awards will be given to recognise the best submissions from (1) one Early Career Researcher and (2) one Higher Degree Research student. These awards will be based on the assessment of the expert reviewers of the papers and the Academic Executive Committee. HDR Students and ECR who are supervised by the conference organisers or members of the Academic Executive Committee are strongly encouraged to submit their research for presentation, however, they will not be eligible for either award.

As delegates, you will have the opportunity to:

  • have first-hand access to cutting-edge research
  • discuss the implications of new knowledge to your practice
  • connect with academics and other professionals who have similar interests
  • help shape the discussion on improving the quality of research in gender and sexuality at work
  • support a professional, evidence-based and respectful space to advance scientific knowledge on social equity at work.

We will have four streams of work on the day of the conference:

  1. Keynote

    Lilia Cortina

    Professor Lilia Cortina, Professor of Psychology, Women’s Studies, and Management & Organizations at the University of Michigan, USA.
    Gender Harassment: A Technology of Oppression in Organizations

  2. Paper Presentations:

    Concurrent peer-reviewed academic paper presentation sessions.

  3. Community/Industry-led workshops:

    Workshops showcasing evidence-based applications of research to work-related issues.

  4. Plenary:

    The final session will discuss the future of research and engagement in gender and sexuality at work. The results of the analysis of the delegates’ responses to the registration question will be presented, and a panel of academics, community, and industry experts will participate in the plenary.

  5. Networking Drinks:

    We will celebrate the end of the conference with drinks and nibbles held at the Woodward, which offers panoramic views of the city of Melbourne

Click the session title in the program below for more information
OR
Download the full program here

Day Overview

Track 1Track 2Track 3 Track 4

8:00am

8:00 - 8:30

Registration

8:30am

8:30 - 8:45

Welcome to Country

8:45am

8:45 - 9:00

Opening Address by Professor Paul Kofman, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics, The University of Melbourne

9:00am

9:00 - 10:00

Keynote – Professor Lilia Cortina

10:00am

10:00 - 10:30

Morning Tea

10:30am

10:30 - 10:50
Death by a Thousand Cuts
10:30 - 10:50
Women Working Away
10:30 - 10:50
The Need for a Father's Quota in PPL Policy
10:30 - 10:50
Equality at Work

10:50am

10:50 - 11:10
#MeToo Antarctica
10:50 - 11:10
Women and Precarious Employment
10:50 - 11:10
Changing Gendered Fitness Interests
10:50 - 11:10
Stigma and Healthcare use in Sexual Minorities

11:10am

11:10 - 11:30
Teaching about Gender-Based Violence
11:10 - 11:30
Women, Age Discrimination and Work
11:10 - 11:30
Gender, Job Stress, and Sleep in Working Parents
11:10 - 11:30
Gender-Diverse Individuals at Work

11:30am

11:30 - 12:00
Gender System Justification and Perpetrator Blame
11:30 - 12:00
Gender Norms as Predictor Variables
11:30 - 12:00
Sharing the Load
11:30 - 12:00
Gay Men’s Working Lives

12:00pm

12:00 - 12:50

Lunch

12:50pm

12:50 - 1:40
Achieving Gender Equality at Victoria Police
12:50 - 1:15
Gender Representation at the Royal Opera
12:50 - 1:15
The Pram in the Hall
12:50 - 1:40
Out at Work

1:15pm

1:15 - 1:40
Conflicts of Rights
1:15 - 1:40
Work-Family Conflict: Gendered Risks & Opportunity

1:40pm

1:40 - 2:30
Proud, Visible, Safe
1:40 - 2:30
Gender pay gap
1:40 - 2:30
Workplace Equality and Respect
1:40 - 2:30
All genders, all of campus

2:30pm

2:30 - 3:00

Afternoon Tea

3:00pm

3:00 - 3:50
Queer(y)ing emergency services
3:00 - 3:50
Recruit Smarter
3:00 - 3:50
Motherlands
3:00 - 3:50
EOA's positive duty

4:00pm

4:00 - 4:50

Plenary Session

4:50pm

4:50 - 5:00

Best Paper Awards Ceremony

5:00pm

5:00 - 6:00

Networking drinks

Professor Lilia Cortina

Professor Lilia Cortina
Lilia Cortina

Professor of Psychology, Women's Studies, and Management & Organizations at the University of Michigan, USA

Gender Harassment: A Technology of Oppression in Organisations

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 on the Australian marriage equality debates and the impact of workspaces

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 in the age of #MeToo

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 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 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. 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 children or other genetic relatives, 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
Dr Sonja Kassenboehmer
Centre for Health Economics, Monash University 3800 Australia
A/Prof Dennis Petrie
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. This is noted 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 agendas, therefore, should include TGD perspectives for a better understanding of intersectionality, performativity, and the interrelation of gender and work identity. By recognising the intersection 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 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, affect 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:
In Australia, as in many industrialized countries, the past 50 years have been marked by increasing female labor-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-labor-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 labor-force participation. The mental health of men appears to benefit from female labor-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.

A New Approach to Achieving Gender Equality at Victoria Police

Kristen Hilton
Commissioner, Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission
Brett Curran
Assistant Commissioner, Gender Equality and Inclusion Command, Victoria Police
Rena De Francesco
Assistant Director, Gender Equality and Inclusion Command, Victoria Police

Session description:
The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Review into Sex Discrimination and Sexual Harassment, including Predatory Behaviour in Victoria Police marked an important turning point in Victoria Police’s understanding of the experiences of women in the organisation. VEOHRC Commissioner Kristen Hilton will provide an overview of the review and how VEOHRC worked in partnership with Victoria Police to understand and address the drivers of sexual discrimination, sexual harassment, and predatory behaviour in the organisation.
Whilst this work has already delivered improvements, Victoria Police is preparing to make some fundamental shifts in how it works towards gender equality across the organisation. Assistant Commissioner Brett Curran and Assistant Director Rena De Francesco, who are leading the development of this new approach, will describe the future of gender equality work at Victoria Police.

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 Vincent
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 fourteen performance seasons, from 2005/06 to 2019/20, 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 theoretical paper brings together existing research from diverse sources to examine the challenges faced by female academics in creative industries who are also mothers. Such academics, as well as being excellent creative practitioners, are those who use creative practice as rigorous enquiry to interrogate research questions. The academic and cultural ecosystems in which these women need to operate are explored through three key barriers that prevent equal career opportunities for female creative practitioners who have children and choose to work in academia.

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.

Proud, Visible, Safe - responding to workplace harm experienced by LGBTI employees in Victoria Police

Mark Keen
Inspector, Capability Department, Victoria Police

Session Description:
In 2015, the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC) conducted one of the world’s largest ever independent studies of sex discrimination, sexual harassment and predatory behaviour in Victoria Police. Despite its particular focus on gender equality and the experiences of women, this study made a collateral and disturbing finding that gay men in Victoria Police were six times more likely to have been sexually harassed by a colleague than male respondents overall. Similarly, the reported rates of harassment for lesbian women were a third higher. Following requests from key LGBTI staff and propelled by the tragic suicide of a former gay police officer who had resigned due to workplace bullying, Victoria Police commissioned VEOHRC to conduct a further qualitative study to better understand the nature, impact and drivers of workplace harm for LGBTI employees. Released in May 2019, the Proud, visible, safe report draws on the current and historical experiences of LGBTI employees, detailing both positive and negative findings. It also makes recommendations for improving and strengthening Victoria Police’s response to workplace harm for this employee cohort. This session will outline the background to Proud, visible, safe as well as its methodology and key findings. It will also explore some of the challenges associated with implementing the report’s recommendations and driving cultural change within Victoria Police.

Out at Work: making Australian workplaces safe and welcoming for LGBTIQ+ workers.

Presenter:

Cathy Brown
Cathy is the Research & Policy Manager at Diversity Council Australia, the leading independent diversity and inclusion advisor to business in Australia. She works with a range of diverse stakeholders to deliver high quality research and strategic projects, including leading the project Out at Work. Cathy has an undergraduate degree in Communications and a Master’s in Social Inquiry from the University of Technology, Sydney. Her thesis explored issues for gay and lesbian seniors as they aged. Cathy has been involved in human rights activism for over ten years through a range of community groups. Her interests include advocacy for LGBTQ+ people, and gender equality through an intersectional lens.

Panel:

Dr Raymond Trau, Lead Research Investigator
Dr Trau was the co-author on the research project and is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Management at Macquarie University. He holds a PhD from Monash University and was a research fellow at the University of Sydney, University of Queensland and University of Western Australia. His research focuses on workplace diversity, stigma and stigmatisation in the workplace, job and career experiences of LGBTIQ+ employees, mentoring, social network and corporate social responsibility; and he is currently collaborating with researchers from Australia, Singapore, the United States and Canada.

Graham Price, Director, Deloitte Digital
Graham specialises in the delivery of digital implementation projects. A big part of his role is building and developing high performing teams, creating and fostering an inclusive environment that allows everyone to bring their whole selves to work. Graham is the co-leader of the national Inclusion & Diversity team within Deloitte Digital, and a Values Champion within the wider Deloitte Australia firm.

Ben Brown, QBE
Ben is a Learning Partner at QBE insurance and the Co-Chair of QBE Pride. Apart from his day job which sees him delivering development opportunities which are accessible for all, he is deeply passionate about inclusion in the workplace and beyond. Having been a part of QBE Pride for the last 3 years, he has loved seeing how LGBTQ+ employee networks have become a great visible force in the journey for identifying employees to be their true authentic selves at work.

Conflicts of rights: the Religious Discrimination Bill and anti-discrimination law

Professor Beth Gaze
Centre for Employment and Labour Relations Law at Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne 3010 Victoria

Abstract:
What are the limits to the freedoms of speech and religion when they conflict with the rights and freedoms of other people? The Religious Discrimination Bill exposure draft raise the problem of the extent to which law does or should provide protection for religious speech or conduct, particularly where it appears it could conflict with the non-discrimination rights of other people. The right to non-discrimination protects people with a range of attributes including sex, pregnancy and sexual orientation as well as religion. Discrimination law can impose limits on conduct and speech where it is discriminatory, harassing or vilifies a person because of their protected attribute. This paper will use the Israel Folau dispute as an example to consider to what extent does (or should) discrimination law protect people who were named in his tweet, and secondly, what would be the effect of adopting the proposed Religious Discrimination Bill on Folau and on employees of religious bodies more generally.

How to close your organisation's gender pay gap

Dr. Janin Bredehoeft
Research and Analytics Executive Manager, WGEA
Arthur Tonkin
Education and Reporting Officer, WGEA

Session Description:
How can we use data to help tackle the gender pay gap? How can data paint a picture of gender inequality in Australian workplaces? How can we objectively and fairly assess jobs across a diverse and ever-changing labour market?
This session will provide an overview of the WGEA’s gender pay gap data, and employer action on pay equity data across industries. It will also outline how the WGEA has sharpened its messaging on pay equity and the gender pay gap through research and consultation with industry and academics and provide tips on how to measure and address gender pay equity in organisations.

Workplace Equality and Respect: Lessons from the development and implementation of a prevention guidance for workplaces

Jo Brisbane
Jo Brislane

Jo Brislane
Jo is a prevention of violence against women specialist who has worked in Australia and the Pacific over the past 10 years. Jo has led work on implementing respectful relationships education and led the development of the Workplace Equality and Respect standards and tools. Jo currently manages a team of staff at Our Watch responsible for prevention initiatives in schools and workplaces and developing evidence-based prevention approaches for universities and TAFEs.

Session Description
Workplace Equality and Respect is a freely available suite of tools and resources that guides workplaces to take evidence-based action to prevent violence against women. This session will outline key lessons from the development and implementation of a prevention guidance for workplaces and will include:

  1. A presentation on the research and core principles that informed the development of Workplace Equality and Respect;
  2. A participatory activity that will outline the step-by-step process that enables workplaces to assess their organisation and identify key actions to make lasting change; and
  3. Summarising key lessons learned about workplace-based activity to prevent violence against women and answering audience questions about implementation of Workplace Equality and Respect.

All genders, all of campus

Sally Cordner
Sally Cordner AM

Sally Goldner AM
Sally Goldner AM has been involved in Victoria’s queer communities for over twenty years. This includes Transgender Victoria, co-facilitator of Transfamily, presenter of 3 CR’s “Out of the Pan” and Treasurer of Bisexual Alliance Victoria.
She is the focus of an autobiographical documentary “Sally’s Story” and a life member of 4 queer organisations.
She was awarded an Order of Australia in 2019, inducted into the Victorian Women’s Honour Roll in 2016, awarded LGBTI Victorian of the Year in 2015 and was noted in The Age’s Top 100 most creative and influential people in Melbourne in 2011.
She is an educator, speaker, MC and occasional performer (all in contrast to her original accountancy training) …with more to come!

Margot Fink
Margot Fink

Margot Fink
Margot Fink has become a role model for young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people. The driving force behind the Gender Is Not Uniform campaign, Margot encouraged schools to create safer environments for gender diverse students. She was instrumental in developing All of Us, the first nationally-approved teaching resource on LGBTI topics for Australian high schools and has spearheaded the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia campaigns. Each year, she helps to organise the Same Sex Gender Diverse Formal, bringing together hundreds of LGBTI young people from across Australia.

Son Vivienne
Son Vivienne

Son Vivienne
Son Vivienne has over 30 years’ experience in media production and research in digital self-representation, storytelling, online activism for and by queer identities. Their current research explores the many creative ways that we ‘code-switch identities’ as diversely abled, classed, raced and gendered bodies, online and off. They are a Board Director at LGBTQI+ youth advocacy NGO, Minus18, and Secretary of Transgender Victoria with particular interest in Access & Inclusion and Peer Support. Their work on digital storytelling is published as Digital Identity and Everyday Activism: Sharing Private Stories with Networked Publics (Palgrave, 2016). Son’s less-verbose, more-embodied projects include cultivating abundance in their garden, and generosity in their children. More info at Son’s website or Twitter @sonasteris

Session Description:
Binary notions of gender limit virtually everyone whether staff, student…or anyone involved in campus life. How people identify and express their gender has been way more than binary since humanity began.
This session looks at possible bias, both conscious and unconscious, when considering gender in various setting, how to overcome the biases and move to a place of being positive and respectful in relation to gender.
The diverse panellists will use practical examples from their lived expertise to move through these issues and allow for an interactive session.

What's that got to do with it? Queer(y)ing the need for diverse, inclusive emergency services

Helen Riseborough
Helen Riseborough

Helen Riseborough
Helen Riseborough is the Chief Executive Officer of Women’s Health In the North (WHIN), the northern metropolitan regional women’s health service in Melbourne. As CEO, Helen leads the strategic work of the organisation in gender equality, prevention of violence against women, the family violence services integration, gender and disaster, sexual and reproductive health, and women’s economic equality. She holds a Master of Social Policy and a Social Work Degree.

Liam Leonard
Liam Leonard

Liam Leonard
Liam Leonard has over 25 years’ experience as a social policy expert and LGBTI advocate. A past Director of GLHV, he has been the lead investigator on a diverse range of state and national LGBTI research projects and led the development of the world’s first LGBTI inclusive accreditation program, the Rainbow Tick. Liam partnered with the GAD Pod in research on LGBTI communities’ experience of the emergency management sector, commissioned by the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet.

Debra Parkinson
Debra Parkinson

Debra Parkinson
Debra Parkinson is the researcher for both WHIN and Women’s Health Goulburn North East (WHGNE). Her research – in partnership with Claire Zara and other partners – has captured disaster and emergency management experiences of women, men and people of diverse gender and sexual identities, including emergency service personnel. Debra is an Adjunct Research Fellow with Monash University Disaster Resilience Initiative (MUDRI) and manager of the GAD Pod, an initiative of these three organisations.

Steve O'Malley
Steve O'Malley

Steve O'Malley
Steve O’Malley is a Leading Firefighter and the Fairness and Inclusion Officer with the Metropolitan Fire Brigade. He has been an operational Fire-fighter for more than 30 years and is a graduate in the study of Human Rights. Steve is an Honorary Life Member of WAFA, a foundation member of the Emergency Management Victoria ‘Gender and Disaster’ taskforce. Steve is a long-standing presenter and advocate for prevention of violence against women and gender equity, and Advisory Group member for the GAD Pod.

Session description:
The session looks at incentives and barriers to the development of LGBTIQ-inclusive emergency service provision and workplaces. It presents research findings on the:

  • Experiences of LGBTIQ people as clients and employees of emergency services; and
  • Attitudes and practices of emergency personnel and organisations toward LGBTIQ people under emergency situations.

This session presents data and case studies highlighting the interactions between sexism and deeply engrained prejudice against sexual and gender diverse minorities in the emergency sector. Theses interactions underpin workplace cultures and organisational procedures that rely on as they reward macho behaviours and ways of associating. This session includes a discussion of the backlash from within the emergency sector and elements of the mainstream press against research on the experience and needs of LGBTI people in emergency situations.
At the same time, the session looks at how the Victorian Government’s commitment to promoting diverse, inclusive practice as the baseline for the delivery of publicly funded services provides opportunities for challenging the masculinist culture of the emergency sector. It provides a context for drawing on the growing support from within the emergency sector for cultural change and the development of LGBTI-inclusive practices and service delivery.
The session encourages participants to consider the impact of heterosexist discrimination on LGBTI people’s experiences as consumers and staff of emergency services and ways of promoting gendered cultural change and the development of LGBTI-inclusive workplaces.

Recruit Smarter: Better hiring practices for gender equality

Dr Michelle Stratemeyer
Senior Consultant, dandolopartners

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

Session Description:
The session will provide a brief overview of the Recruit Smarter pilot program, which tested interventions in participating workplaces to improve diversity and inclusion in hiring processes. A partnership between the Department of Premier and Cabinet (Victoria), the Centre for Ethical Leadership, and VicHealth, this program attracted over 40 participating organisations and delivered a robust evaluation of the effectiveness of process-based interventions for addressing recruitment bias.
In particular, this session will focus on the efficacy of de-identifying applicant CVs during the initial reviewing stage of the hiring process in order to improve the representation of women in the shortlist for interview. Data will be presented for two organisations that initiated this hiring process, one of which demonstrated improvements in the proportion of women shortlisted for interview and one of which did not. Discrepancies will be discussed, as well as challenges and barriers that occurred during the research and implementation phases.
Following this will be a 30-40 min panel discussion with a Q&A with the audience.

Motherlands: How U.S. states push mothers out of employment

Associate Professor Leah Ruppanner
Leah Ruppanner

Associate Professor Leah Ruppanner
Melbourne School of Social and Political Sciences, The University of Melbourne

Session description:
This book is the first to create a detailed measure of family policies across U.S. states. The results of this book show that states generally divide into two types: (1) those with expansive childcare resources, inexpensive childcare, long school days, and high rates of maternal employment and (2) those with strong gender empowerment, that have progressive family and gender policies and broad economic and political opportunities for women. Interestingly, states that we usually expect to be the most progressive – California, for example – rank poorly on childcare resources but high on gender empowerment. By contrast, a state like Nebraska, which is traditionally a red conservative state, has some of the best childcare resources in the nation. The book argues states should look to each other to fill their policy voids and provides clear policy solutions for policy makers interested in supporting working families.
The results of this book point to clear policy solutions that state legislators should enact to support working families including: (1) reducing childcare costs and increasing childcare spaces especially in high cost of living states; (2) more effectively maximizing enrollment in the federal Head Start program; (3) lengthening school days; (4) legislating well-paid parental leave to both parents; (5) investing in female-dominated professions; (6) restricting work to enable more flexibility and schedule control for women and men to handle caregiving roles; (7) opening male-dominated higher paying professions, including blue-collar work, to women; and (8) reducing the structural barriers to men taking on more paid and unpaid caregiving.

Advancing leading practice in workplace equality through the EOA's positive duty

Justine Vaisutis
Justine Vaisutis

Justine Vaisutis
Head of Education and Engagement, Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission

Gregory Frank
Gregory Frank

Gregory Frank
Education Consultant, Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission

Session description:
Under the Equal Opportunity Act 2010, organisations have a positive duty to eliminate gender discrimination, sexual harassment and victimisation as far as possible. This obligation is in recognition that equal opportunity is about more than just fixing issues as they arise. True equal opportunity means creating an environment where unfair treatment and problem behaviour is unlikely to happen in the first place.
This workshop and Q & A session will explore:

  • How the positive duty obligation contributes to leading practice and an evidence base about effective strategies to advance gender equality in workplaces
  • The positive duty obligation for employers and the business benefits of meeting it
  • Strategies to address issues around gender and sexuality at work
  • How the positive duty could be strengthened

This session will be valuable for members of the public and private sectors who would like to learn more about practical application of the positive duty, and academics with an interest in how the law can advance workplace equality and address sexual harassment.

Plenary Session

Our expert panel includes:

Anna Chapman
Anna Chapman

Professor Anna Chapman
Melbourne University Law Faculty

Anna Chapman is a Professor in the Melbourne Law School. She has held a number of roles in the School, including as the Associate Dean of the Juris Doctor program, and as a Co-Director of the Centre for Employment and Labour Relations Law. Her research lies in workers’ rights, and especially the rights of women and LGBT workers.

Isabel Metz
Isabel Metz

Isabel Metz
Melbourne Business School

Isabel received a PhD from Monash University. She is a professor of Organizational Behaviour in the Melbourne Business School at the University of Melbourne. Her research examines how change and human resource management influence people and organisation outcomes. Current research projects include investigating internal and external influences of diversity and inclusion practices in organisations.

Nithya Solomon
Nithya Solomon

Nithya Solomon
Executive Lead, Innovation Office, VicHealth

Nithya is renowned for her international leadership experience and expertise in bringing innovative ventures in philanthropy and social investment to life. She has held roles in Australia, USA and Latin America at Nike, Ernst & Young, Accenture and ANZ Investment Bank. As the Nike Foundation Strategy, Finance and Operations Director Nithya managed a multi-million-dollar venture philanthropy engine that gives adolescent girls a clear path out of poverty. In her current role at VicHealth she stewards the hallmark ‘Leading Thinkers Initiative’, currently focused on Behavioural Insights and Gender Equality. Nithya holds a Masters of Administration degree from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management and Bachelor degrees in Chemical Engineering and Performing Arts from Monash University.

Anthony Wood
Anthony Wood

Anthony Wood
Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills

Tony is a partner in the Employment, Industrial Relations and Safety group of Herbert Smith Freehills, and has been recognised as one of Australia’s premier employment lawyers for each year since 2008 by Best Lawyers. Tony has more than 25 years’ experience advising clients in employment related matters including industrial strategies and disputes, equal employment opportunity, termination of employment issues, enterprise bargaining, transmission of business, bullying and whistleblower issues. His clients include the Australian Ballet, Coles, Ford Australia, Hydro Tasmania, National Australia Bank, Snowy Hydro and Toyota.  Tony’s pro bono clients include Berry Street, the Pinnacle Foundation and Equality Australia. Tony is a convener of the Herbert Smith Freehills LGBTI network, “IRIS”. The network operates in each of Herbert Smith Freehills’ Australian offices and thought HSF’s global network. In 2013, Tony was awarded the Australian Workplace Equality Index Executive Leadership Award for his work in LGBTI workplace inclusion. In 2017, Tony was included in the Australian Financial Review’s list of the top 50 LGBTI business leaders in Australia. Professional background – Tony holds law and commerce degrees from the University of Melbourne. Tony is a member of the Industrial Relations Society of Victoria and the Australian Human Resources Institute.

Panel Moderator:

Raymond Trau
Raymond Trau

Dr Raymond Trau
Senior Lecturer, Macquarie University

Raymond Trau is senior lecturer at Macquarie Business School in Macquarie University. Raymond’s research focuses on diversity and inclusion. The most notable contribution of his research is to theory and practice of LGBITQ inclusion. Raymond's research has been published in a number of international journals (e.g. Journal of Applied Psychology) and has received research mentions and interviews by major international and domestic media outlets. Raymond’s work has a strong link with industry via research collaboration, consultation and co-authorship with profit, non-profit and government organisations including Diversity Council of Australia and Pride in Diversity.

Download Conference Proceedings

Making Workplaces Better for Everyone

Conference Wrap-up

Researchers from 14 Australian universities presented their work at the inaugural Gender and Sexuality at Work conference, hosted by the University’s Centre for Workplace Leadership (CWL) on 18 February 2020.

The conference, organised by Dr Victor Sojo (CWL) and Dr Melissa Wheeler (Department of Management and Marketing, UniMelb and Swinburne Business School), highlighted how gender identity, sexual orientation, and sexual characteristics intersect with our work lives. Academics were joined by representatives from 16 public and private organisations working in this space.

“We wanted to host this conference to get workplace gender and sexuality researchers and diversity and inclusion specialists from industry together in the same space to share their knowledge about what is working, what’s not, and what needs to be further investigated in order to contribute to best practice in diversity management,” Dr Wheeler said.

In her keynote Professor Lilia Cortina, Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan, addressed the hidden problem of gender harassment. Gender harassment, she explained, is a form of sexual harassment. Unlike sexual coercion and unwanted sexual attention, gender harassment focuses on gender-related insults designed to put-down women in workplaces.

This harassment makes up the bulk of sexual harassment experiences, but is poorly recognised in workplace policy. Importantly, Cortina said, frequent gender harassment causes the same amount of harm as the more intense but rarer forms of sexual harassment such as assault.

The Diversity Council of Victoria’s Cathy Brown reported on the organisation’s survey of LGBTIQ+ people at work. They found that 74% of LGBTIQ+ people thought it was important to be able to be “out” at work, but only 32% felt comfortable to do so. Being out also improves employee wellbeing and increases performance in the workplace.

University of Tasmania researchers Dr Meredith Nash and Dr Hanne Nielsen survey women working Antarctica, and 63 reported sexual harassment. Lack of privacy and the intimate relationships required by remote fieldwork contribute to women’s vulnerability on the icy continent.

In another session, Dr Nash and Dr Nielsen looked at the intersection of race and gender for women in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine) fields. Interviewing 30 women of colour, they found all reported “micro-aggressions”, small but frequent remarks that drew attention to the women’s race. “It’s even harder for women of colour to succeed in science,” Dr Nash said.

Dr Leah Rupanner, Associate Professor of Sociology and Co-director of The Policy Lab at the University, highlighted her research from her forthcoming book on US mothers.

“We think of the coastal U.S. states as being the most progressive. In terms of policies and economic opportunities for women, my book shows that this is true. But, their childcare resources are some of the worst in the nation and, as a result, mothers in these states are boxed out of employment.”

The University’s Dr Tania King won the award for best paper from an early career researcher for her work on mental health and work-life balance. Her research showed men who are breadwinners are more likely suffer poor mental health than men in families where men work part time and women work part time.

Members of Victoria Police, the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, and the Victorian public service discussed efforts to reduce bias and discrimination in their workplaces. BCom alum Sally Goldner and Son Vivienne discussed how to make campuses more inclusive for trans and gender diverse students.

Dr Sojo said that research around gender and sexuality in the workplace is at a point where it can be translated into policy.

“This conference helped showcase the state of the art and the potential for improvement. We already have academics from other universities who want to co-host the conference in the future. We hope this is just the first of many spaces we will create to produce and share knowledge about gender and sexuality at work.”

By James Whitmore

Communications Coordinator, Faculty of Business and Economics at The University of Melbourne

We extend our appreciation to all the sponsors and partners of the Gender and Sexuality at Work Conference.

We would like to specially thank the Department of Management and Marketing and the Faculty of Business and Economics of The University of Melbourne for their generous sponsorship and in-kind contribution.

Sponsors

City of Monash
cohealth
Melbourne Social Equity Institute
Oxfam Australia
Our Watch
Eastern Community Legal Centre

Partners

Gender Equity Victoria logo
Transgender Victoria logo
VicHealth
Women's Health East
Workplace Gender Equality Agency
Victoria Police
Diversity Council Australia
Thorne Harbour Health

Become involved

Showcase your brand to 200+ delegates engaged with the issues of gender and sexuality at work, and speak directly to C-suite executives, middle managers and HR professionals. Align your organisation with the University of Melbourne's world-class research and leaders, and highlight your contribution to research on social equity at work.

Contact us below to discuss how we can tailor a package to suit your needs.

Support for interstate Higher Degree by Research students

The Melbourne Social Equity Institute (MSEI) is sponsoring three interstate PhD students to present at the conference, including an economy return flight and one nights accommodation for each student.

Venue Map

Conference Venue

Melbourne Law School (Building 106)
Woodward Conference Centre
10th floor, 185 Pelham Street
The University of Melbourne

Getting to the venue

Get directions

Train and tram

  1. Catch the train to Melbourne Central Station, exit via Swanston Street, walk to Swanston Street and catch any tram heading north. Alight at Lincoln Square – Stop 3, turn left down Lincoln Square and right onto Pelham Street until you get to the corner of Pelham Street and Leicester Street, where Woodward Conference Centre is located.
  2. Catch the train to Melbourne Central Station, exit via Elizabeth Street, walk to Elizabeth Street and catch tram 19 or 59 heading north. Alight at Haymarket – Stop 9, turn right onto Pelham Street until you get to the corner of Pelham Street and Barry Street, where Woodward Conference Centre is located.

Car

There is limited parking available around the campus. Public parking is available at University Square Car Park within the university’s Parkville campus, for a fee of $25.00 all day parking

Accessibility

The conference venue is accessible for people using wheelchairs, including accessible entry, conference rooms, and toilets. The Woodward is equipped with female, male, and gender-neutral bathrooms. Please use the bathroom that best fits your gender identity

If you have any access requirements, please note them in the conference registration form or contact us below by the 15th of January 2020 so we can discuss suitable arrangements.

Organisers

Dr Victor Sojo, Centre for Workplace Leadership

Dr Melissa Wheeler, Department of Management and Marketing

Executive Academic Committee

Associate Professor Susan Ainsworth - Department of Management and Marketing

Professor Julie Bernhardt AM - The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health and WiSPP

Professor Anna Chapman - Melbourne Law School

Associate Professor Michelle Evans - Program Director MURRA Indigenous Business Master Class

Professor Valerie Francis - Melbourne School of Design

Professor Olena Hankivsky - Melbourne School of Population and Global Health

Associate Professor Natalie Hannan - Mercy Hospital for Women

Professor Thomas Maak - Centre for Workplace Leadership

Associate Professor Leah Ruppanner - School of Social and Political Sciences

Senior Faculty Dr Sarah Russell - Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and WiSPP

Associate Professor Kylie Smith - Melbourne Graduate School of Education

Professorial Fellow Mark Wooden - Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research

Industry / Community Advisors

Michelle Stratemeyer - Senior Consultant, dandolopartners

Jennifer Tobin - Diversity Manager, cohealth

Operations team

Ms Rebecca Schachtman - Centre for Workplace Leadership

PhD candidate Adriana Vargas Saenz - Centre for Workplace Leadership

Mr Felix Grant - Centre for Workplace Leadership

Mrs Jenni Kirkbright - Translating Research at Melbourne

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