Australia: Bias Against Women Workers Persists

An unconscious bias against female workers persists across the country, a.new report by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia finds.

The report, released Tuesday, came out as the federal Cabinet approved frontline combat duties for women in the armed services.

CEDA Chief Executive Stephen Martin said the committee's public and private sessions with men and women revealed subtle, hidden barrirers.

"These are not always readily available for scrutiny, but can see women excluded from leadership," he said.

"Women who are seen to step outside a stereotypical female paradigm can engender rage in others, both male and female," Dr. Hannah Piterman, who contributed to the report, told News.com.au.

Piterman said that organisations are initiating more measures to ensure gender equality in the workplace, but their initiatives are often blocked by unconscious bias. Among these is the expectation that women workers have to be extraordinary in their performance.

"However, as long as being extraordinary remains the tacit prerequisite by both men and women for women's entry into leadership, senior ranks will remain populated by men," she said.

The gender discrimination is doubly felt by female bosses who could be perceived as too aggressive if they behave too ambitiously and too weak if they act too communal and collaborative, said Westpac head of diversity Rachel Slade, who also contributed to the report.

The gender gap, particularly in top management level, is proven by numbers. The report said Australian women are only 12.5 per cent of directors in the ASX 200, 2.5 per cent of chairs, 3 per cent of chief executive officers and 8 per cent of key executive managers.