ACU is an employer of choice for gender equality

ACU has been recognised as an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality for the fifth year running.

ACU was awarded the Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation, a prestigious achievement which recognises that the University has once again met stringent standards through its commitment to creating equal opportunities for women and men in the workplace.

The Federal Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) announced the award on Thursday 8 December.  A record number of organisations were granted a citation this year, with more than 100 organisations recognised, including 13 universities.

ACU Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Greg Craven said despite more rigorous criteria this year, ACU remained in the group of employers to receive the prestigious award.

“The values of inclusion and equity that are at the core of ACU’s Mission and values have resulted in the University receiving this recognition as a gender equality leader,” Professor Craven said.

ACU has a strong commitment to gender equality, evidenced through its Gender Equality Strategy 2015-2020 (GES).

Professor Craven said he was dedicated to achieving the goals of the GES, which include working to achieve gender pay equity at ACU and contributing to the conversation about this important issue in the broader community.

“The implementation of the GES has a critical role in the continued success of the University by leveraging the benefits of diversity and inclusion and providing opportunities for women and men to reach their potential,” Professor Craven said.

Some of the ways ACU is actively supporting gender equality include maintaining high levels of women’s participation at all levels of the workforce, providing generous parental leave provisions to women and men, and providing a range of flexible working options to allow staff to manage their work and personal commitments. For example, at ACU:

• 64 per cent of management positions are held by women
• 74 per cent of participants in learning and development activities are women
• 89 of those who take up study support are women
• New fathers are increasingly accessing parental leave, including provisions for primary carers

Director of WGEA Libby Lyons said it was encouraging to see more than 100 organisations meet the high standards required to receive the WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation this year.

“WGEA data shows there is progress towards gender equality in Australian workplaces, but it is too slow. It is only through more employers adopting leading practices to promote gender equality in the workplace that we will see the pace of change pick up,” Ms Lyons said.

“I congratulate all the 2016 citation holders for their commitment and recognition of the strong business case for gender equality. I hope to see continued growth in this community of leading practice employers.”