Blog : Why do we still see workplace Gender Inequality in 2020?

Grace Windsor

The notion that one’s gender can define many aspects within a lifetime often causes me to question the world, the people in it, and why we don’t push more for a change. How can being a female change peoples perceptions of me, in particular my career? People telling me what job I should be in, my position, how much I should be paid, or if I should even be working.

How come this normality of life is still negatively brought upon and prevalent within todays society. 

Women in 2020 still continue to earn less money than men, have less of a chance of advancing in their careers in comparison to men, and also accumulate less retirement and superannuation savings. 

Libby Lyons, the director of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency stresses the fears that myself and many women face today, with the inclination of another ‘lost decade’ looming. 

This was reflected in the fight of the last economic downturn with the gender pay gap shooting up ‘2.0 percentage points from 15.6% in November 2007 to 17.6% in November 2009.’ (Ziwica, K. 2020 para.11-12 ) Lyons stating that it took them ’10 years to bring that back down to where it is today.’ ( Ziwica, K. 2020 para. 13). 

Even though this saw a success for the fight in gender pay equality, the pay gap between men and women is still at a disadvantage being 14.0%. 

This duly unfair dispute has had a long standing presence throughout generations, what I question and rightly advocate is when will we see an end to this disparity.

Ziwica, K. 2020 “The evidence provides a stark warning”: Australia is at risk of losing a decade on equal pay progress. Retrieved from https://www.smartcompany.com.au/finance/australia-risk-losing-decade-equal-pay-progress/