Women are the business
Insights on how women work and live
Celebrating the University of Melbourne leaders changing the professional landscape for women – from researchers to alumni.
Featured news
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Professor Lisa Cameron and Professor Ian McDonald named Distinguished Fellows of the Economics Society of Australia
Professor Lisa Cameron and Professor Ian McDonald from the Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Melbourne, have been made Distinguished Fe…
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Professor Lisa Cameron and Professor Ian McDonald named Distinguished Fellows of the Economics Society of Australia
Professor Lisa Cameron and Professor Ian McDonald from the Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Melbourne, have been made Distinguished Fellows of the Economics Society of Australia, announced at the Australian Conference of Economists on 11 July in Brisbane.
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The role you play in modern slavery in Australia
Read this article by Associate Professor Michal Carrington in Pursuit.
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‘Smart drugs’ make you worse at solving complex problems, new study finds
Read this article by Dr Elizabeth Bowman in The Conversation.
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The business leaders 'hiding' chronic illness
Read this article by Dr Peter Ghin and Professor Susan Ainsworth in Pursuit.
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A sustainable solution to Australia's engineering skills shortage
Read about the research by Dr Maryam Raji from the Department of Management and Marketing in Pursuit.
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Carers of older Australians need more support
But unpaid extended leave isn’t the best solution. Read this article by Associate Professor Catherine de Fontenay in The Conversation.
Women Are The Business links cutting edge research and real life experience to explain the hurdles women face at work and in life. With each episode, we’ll go inside the issues that affect women in the workplace, from Paid Parental Leave to financial independence to the impacts of unpaid work. We’ll leave you with practical ideas for your own life and give you big picture solutions that could change the game for women all over the world.
Winner of 'Best Business Podcast' 2020, at the Australian Podcast Awards.
Listen on:
Episode #8 // Women Worldwide
In the final episode of Women are the Business, we're stepping beyond the Western workplace. Women in developing nations face many of the same challenges as women in the West, as well as some that are uniquely their own. With the help of two experts, we're addressing the power of research and finding out why it’s important to acknowledge the diverse experience of women around the world. Today's guests are Sarah Boyd, Director of Global Advocacy at Data2X, and Dr Diana Contreras Suarez, Research Fellow at the Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic and Social Research.
Episode #7 // The Gender Power Gap
In Australia, only 7% of the biggest companies are led by women. Women are significantly underrepresented in decision-making, and the problem gets worse the higher you go. In this episode of Women Are The Business, we take a look at what's behind the gender power gap, from stereotypes to leadership styles. Plus we tackle hot-button solutions, like quotas. We spoke to two women who were at the vanguard – Jan West and Sue Morphet – and leadership expert Jen Overbeck.
Episode #6 // A Conversation with Julia Gillard
In this special episode of Women are the Business, we're bringing you a candid conversation with University of Melbourne alum, and former Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard. We spoke about the roadblocks to true gender equality, how she looks back on her career with the benefit of hindsight, the power of activism and what she’s been up to since she left politics. "We only change big things in our world by talking about them."
Episode #5 // Women v COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic is shaking up the way we live and work - and in this episode we take a close look at how women and men are affected in different ways. As we’ll hear, the pandemic has exposed the “care crisis” in our homes, and highlighted women’s role at the frontline of the response. It threatens to take gender equity backwards in the workplace. Can we get to the other side of the pandemic without making gender inequity worse? Our guests are Professor Susan Ainsworth and Associate Professor Leah Ruppanner.
Episode #4 // "His and Hers" Jobs
Despite huge progress when it comes to equality in the workforce, there is one trend that is proving hard to budge: gender segregation. In this episode, two experts lay out the data on the prevalence of female and male dominated jobs - from education and nursing to computer science and construction. Does it matter that the labour market is so gender-segregated? Today's guests are Libby Lyons, Director of Australia's Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), and Dr Victor Sojo, Lecturer in Leadership and Research Fellow at the Centre for Workplace Leadership.
Episode #3 // We Need To Talk About Money
Money shapes our personal and professional lives in dramatic ways, but we're often reluctant to talk about it. On episode three of Women are the Business, we're speaking to two experts about their own experiences with money - the good, the bad and the ugly. We're digging into the gender pay gap, the problem with Australia's retirement system and the prevalence of financial abuse. Our guests: Corinne Proske (BCom 1993), General Manager of ethical lending platform, Speckle, and Professor Carsten Murawski, Co-Director of the Brain, Mind & Markets Lab. This episode contains some strong language and discusses domestic violence. If this raises concerns for you or someone you know, there is support available on 1800 Respect or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Episode #2 // Women Should Go on a Chore Strike
Unpaid work underpins our entire economy. We're only able to function because we have clean clothes and packed lunches. But what are the impacts of all this unpaid labour on women's lives? University of Melbourne research reveals that chores also exist in workplaces - think taking notes in meetings, emptying the dishwasher or planning the office Christmas party - and it's largely women who carry the load. On episode two of Women are the Business, we're bringing in experts Dr Leah Ruppanner and Dr Maria Recalde to explore the dynamics of unpaid work both at home and in the office, and to find out what we can do to create a little more balance.
Episode #1 // Paid Parental Leave – Who Cares?
Did you know that Australia was the second last developed country to implement a National Paid Parental Leave (PPL) Policy? In the first episode of Women are the Business, we speak with Jenny Macklin, the longest serving woman in the Australian House of Representatives. She drove the fight for PPL in Australia, finally getting it across the line in 2011. We also hear from Professor Guyonne Kalb, who measured the policy's impact on Australian families. We'll explore how this one piece of policy impacts women's careers - and men's - and why more change might be needed.
Trailer
Over 8 Episodes we'll be digging into women's working lives. We'll be exploring what research tells with leading academics, and hearing from alumni who have gone on to become industry leaders. What we really hope, is that we'll get to the root of these problems, and offer some practical solutions you can use in your every day working life.
Research insights and personal stories on how women work and live.
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Professor Lisa Cameron and Professor Ian McDonald named Distinguished Fellows of the Economics Society of Australia
Professor Lisa Cameron and Professor Ian McDonald from the Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Melbourne, have been made Distinguished Fellows of the Economics Society of Australia, announced at the Australian Conference of Economists on 11 July in Brisbane.
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The role you play in modern slavery in Australia
Read this article by Associate Professor Michal Carrington in Pursuit.
-
‘Smart drugs’ make you worse at solving complex problems, new study finds
Read this article by Dr Elizabeth Bowman in The Conversation.
-
The business leaders 'hiding' chronic illness
Read this article by Dr Peter Ghin and Professor Susan Ainsworth in Pursuit.
-
A sustainable solution to Australia's engineering skills shortage
Read about the research by Dr Maryam Raji from the Department of Management and Marketing in Pursuit.
-
Carers of older Australians need more support
But unpaid extended leave isn’t the best solution. Read this article by Associate Professor Catherine de Fontenay in The Conversation.
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What can we expect from the 2023 economic 'misery index'?
Read this article by Professor Guay Lim and Associate Professor Sam Tsiaplias from Melbourne Institute in Pursuit.
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Overcoming gender bias of boardroom gatekeepers
Read this article by Dr Marina Gertsberg in Pursuit.
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Research: Gender norms can change by showing families how much support communities have for working mothers
New research from the Melbourne Institute at the University of Melbourne shows gender norms for roles in families can be changed simply by informing families how much support there is for working women in their communities.
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India’s ‘untouchable’ women face discrimination even in schemes meant to help them
Read this article by Dr Kanika Meshram in The Conversation
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Research: Regional interventions needed to help young people transition from high school to employment
New research from the Melbourne Institute, University of Melbourne, shows youth in Australia find it harder to transition from high school to employment when compared to youth in many other countries.
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Watch: Sustaining Impact Investment - an Expert Fireside Chat
Sustaining Impact Investment – an Expert Fireside Chat with Professor Rosemary Addis, Karim Harji and moderated by Associate Professor Ben Neville. This event was held Monday 5 December 2022.
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Using evidence to design Australia's economics policy
Read the article by Professor A. Abigail Payne in Pursuit.
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That’s a wrap: 2022 MBS Case Competition
The MBS Case Competition challenges graduate students to pitch innovative solutions to real business problems faced by an organisation. This year, the ‘Director’s Cut’ student team impressed Village Roadshow and were awarded first place in the competition.
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ARC Linkage: Securing the next generation in farming and food careers
Dr Esperanza Vera-Toscano, Senior Research Fellow at the Melbourne Institute, Faculty of Business and Economics, is a member of a cross-discipline research team that recently secured funding for an ARC Linkage project.
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A giant impact
Rachel Yang – recipient of the 2022 Rising Star for Young Alumni Award – shares how she arrived at a place of making change.
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Professor Lisa Cameron appointed James Riady Chair in Asian Economics and Business
The Faculty of Business and Economics is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Lisa Cameron as the James Riady Chair in Asian Economics and Business.
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Time to Reform Australia's Unfair Family Support System
Family benefit payments aren’t fit for purpose with complex rules that make it hard for mothers to return to work and that penalise dual-earner families
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Why do women get paid less than men?
Hours and commute time may provide clues, according to our study which investigated the differences in experiences between men and women who lost their jobs.
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It's Time to Acknowledge Men and Women Behave Differently
We need to accept that men and women behave differently, in part, because of the different expectations society has of them, and find ways that work with these differences rather than against them.
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Flexible work arrangements help women, but only if they are also offered to men
Flexible workplace policies designed to improve gender gaps in employment and pay might actually make things worse for women.
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More investment in early childhood strategies is needed for wider social and economic reform
Zac Hatzantonis (BCom 1994) used her economics degree to pursue a career in public policy, and is now a partner at PwC Australia. She tells us what inspired her passion for policy reform, particularly in early childhood education and care.
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Women, Work and COVID-19
Women business leaders and experts discuss how we can recover from the pandemic without making gender inequality worse.
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Championing Indigenous women politicians
The theme for 2020’s National Reconciliation Week is ‘In this Together’; an edited extract from a new book celebrates the contribution of Australia’s Indigenous women in political leadership.
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A Conversation With Julia Gillard
The 27th Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, is the guest in the sixth episode of the Women are the Business podcast.
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Women vs COVID-19
This episode of the Women are the Business podcast explores how women are being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Fixing the gender gap in STEM starts in high school
STEM is core to solving some of the most pressing issues our world is facing. But women are under-represented.
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What's keeping women out of work?
Indonesia’s economy continues to grow and women have more access to education, so why aren’t more women getting into work?
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Rebelling against modern slavery
Seventy five per cent of modern slaves are women and girls. As consumers, we need to challenge the way we think about what we buy to help end exploitation.
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Combating workplace sexual abuse
We have decades of research on sexual harassment and how to combat it. But first, we need to dispel the myths that enable it.
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Brain-bending economics
Dr Elizabeth Bowman uses neuroscience to solve complex economic problems.
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Abuse in sport: Bad apples or bad barrels?
There are far too many recent examples of athletes facing abuse. If we don’t change the structure and culture within sport - and treat it as an organisational issue - it will keep happening.
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Bringing business thinking to sport
Jo Weston (BCom, 2015) is a star player for the Australian Diamonds netball team and the Melbourne Vixens. Here she reflects on how she applies business thinking on the court.
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The making of a CEO
Shamini Rajarethnam climbed from marketing coordinator to CEO at luxury skincare company, Rationale, in four years. Here she shares her wisdom – from juggling work and home life to the importance of building a “tribe” of trusted advisors.
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Forging a career as a global citizen
Vi Peterson climbed to senior ranks in the male-dominated banking industry in the 1980s. Not satisfied to rest on her laurels, she has gone on to connect international businesses as a consultant, create her own philanthropic foundation and sit on a number of boards all over the world.
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Why the Lord Mayor has embraced being a “career chameleon”
Melbourne Lord Mayor, Sally Capp (BCom, LLB (Hons) 1991), has had a myriad of career changes. Here she shares how her love of transformation and commitment to learning has shaped her own version of success.
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Advice from an investor: Beware of “mentor whiplash”
Venture capitalist Rachel Yang drives positive social change by investing in start-ups that make a difference. Here she shares some advice she usually reserves for the founders she works with.
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The hidden secrets of the gender gap
Behavioural economist Dr Maria Recalde uses experimental methods to investigate the oftentimes hidden factors that contribute to gender gaps in the workforce. Here she discusses what drives her to do her research.
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Questioning consumerism
How Dr Michal Carrington’s unique childhood and former career as a marketing executive inspired her research of the modern world’s most tricky problems.
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Accounting for the future
Prof Naomi Soderstrom has always been interested in environmental issues. Her research uses mainstream accounting to address climate change.
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Sharing the load
Australia needs significant policy changes to help parents find the balance between work and home - and increase equality between women and men.
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Treating depression to economically empower mothers
How simple talking therapy empowers women with perinatal depression to make better economic decisions.
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Teaching the next generation after #MeToo
In the post #MeToo era, is the business world taking sexual harassment seriously enough? And how prepared should our future employees be to tackle it?
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Recruit Smarter: A better way to do business
Overcoming unconscious biases during recruitment can help organisations truly find the right person for the job, become more diverse, and perform better.
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Podcast: Workplace bullying in the #MeToo era
Workplace bullying creates a toxic environment, but the #MeToo movement is highlighting the drivers of abuse that women experience at work
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Work or Family?
Many Australian couples are finding it tough to balance work and family commitments, especially if they work long hours
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Breaking the workplace code of silence
The code of silence around gender equity damages men and women by confining both to traditional gender roles
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J.P. Morgan's Jennifer Nason: the accidental banker
Alumna Jennifer Nason never predicted she'd end up working as a global leader in investment banking, but that's where life lead her.
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Women's value: Beyond the business case for diversity and inclusion
Dr Victor Sojo and Professor Cordelia Fine publish thought-provoking article in The Lancet special issue on advancing women in science, medicine and global health.
The Faculty of Business and Economics is committed to gender equity in the workplace.
Everyone should feel safe, valued and rewarded in their workplace and we are passionate about fostering an inclusive environment, where everyone can be their authentic self, and where diversity is celebrated as a strength. Our supportive culture encourages equal opportunities for development, advancement and promotion.
Our committed staff, who continually strive for better, create a world-class working environment and are central to why FBE is a great place to work.
If this sounds like you, the Faculty of Business and Economics could be the right career move for you.
In the more than 100 years since the first International Women’s Day, great strides have been made toward gender equality.
But in almost every corner of the world, there are still women facing adversity today.
Hear from Business and Economics researchers on the work they’re doing to drive further change - collaborating with industry, government and policy makers around the globe to implement evidence-based solutions. Click the headings below to learn more.
Real problems. Real research. Real Solutions.
Time to Reform Australia's Unfair Family Support Systems
Dr Barbara Broadway is a Senior Research Fellow at the Melbourne Institute: Applied Economics and Social Research, where she specialises on the effects of social security systems and other labour market institutions on labour supply, with a focus on women and mothers as well as older workers and workers with disabilities.
Changing the environments that give rise to gender differences at work
Dr Maria Recalde is an Economics Lecturer at the University of Melbourne. She uses experimental and behavioural economics to understand how others influence our choices and the effect this has on the economy.
Flexible work arrangements can only support women if they are available to everyone
Dr Jordy Meekes is a Research Fellow at the Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research. His research is in applied microeconomics at the intersection of labour economics with urban, regional and housing economics.
The majority of modern slaves are women and girls
Dr Michal Carrington is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing and a consumer behaviour expert. She has collaborated with the UK Government to understand how consumers perceive and interact with modern slavery and the goods and services it produces.
What's keeping women out of work?
Dr Diana Contreras Suarez is a Research Fellow at the Melbourne Institute. With her colleague, Prof Lisa Cameron, she has studied labour force data to figure out why there are fewer women in work in Indonesia than you might expect. Their recommendations have been taken up by the Indonesian government.
Combating sexual abuse in the workplace
Dr Victor Sojo is a Lecturer in Leadership and a Research Fellow at the Centre for Workplace Leadership. He works with organisations and government to implement evidence-based solutions to end workplace sexual harassment.
The power of treating maternal depression in developing countries
Dr Victoria Baranov is a Senior Lecturer in Economics. She's worked to evaluate the long-term impacts of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for mothers with perinatal depression in rural Pakistan. She's found that CBT contributes positively to women’s economic empowerment.
Fixing the gender gap in STEM
Prof A. Abigail Payne is Director of the Melbourne Institute and Ronald Henderson Professor. Working with a colleague in the US, she analysed Canadian data to find out why fewer women take STEM courses at university. She found we need to look closely at what's going on in high school.