Creating gender equality, one workplace at a time
Practical insights and training tailored to where you’re at.
Equality is no longer negotiable.
Equality is no longer negotiable, if it ever was. And we all must take responsibility for creating greater inclusion and eliminating the systemic and intersecting causes of inequality.
Why? Because women and gender diverse people continue to be significantly underrepresented in leadership positions. Sexual harassment and workplace discrimination exist in our workplaces at alarming rates. And caring responsibilities continue to impact women’s workforce participation, further embedding traditional gender roles both at work and home.
As key settings for transformative change, workplaces are a great place to take greater responsibility for equality within ourselves, our relationships, our teams, and our communities.
How we approach the work
Our goal is to help organisations across Australia become more equal and inclusive. We do this by leading important conversations and using data to help drive better decisions and foster cultures where everyone can achieve their potential. Alongside our values, the Genderworks Approach is centred on three key pillars:
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Making change doable and digestible
Momentum is critical on the path to progress. We focus on providing pragmatic and jargon-free services designed to create meaningful, measurable progress towards gender equality. In tandem, we support you to address the strategic priorities of leadership and manage day-to-day delivery, so you can foster a more equal and inclusive environment and workplace culture at all levels.
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Meeting you where you’re at
No team or organisation is the same, and workplace cultures are often nuanced and complex. We know how power functions, and we’ve worked with organisations at all stages of the change process. We provide flexible and tailored options that meet you where you’re at and respect you as the experts in your field, helping you elevate your plan to a comprehensive change process that gets results.
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Intersectional and evidence-based
Based on the latest data and insights, we help facilitate important conversations within your organisation to help you make more informed and evidence-based decisions in your organisation. This, in turn, creates the conditions for greater equality and inclusion that is measurable, accessible, and most importantly — transformative.
Values and Drivers
As a values-led organisation, what drives us is about far more than just words on a page. We recognise our values as being an indelible part of doing good and important work in the world, and they provide a roadmap for how we go about our work — guiding our every decision, action and behaviour.
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We hold a deep belief in this work and its capacity to change society, as well as a profound hope that creating gender equality in our lifetimes is possible. In action, this means that we are committed to building on your strengths and helping you amplify what’s great about your organisation. We choose to highlight and celebrate examples of meaningful change, no matter how small, and believe that for this work to succeed, it takes us all.
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As lifelong feminists and practitioners with a strong intersectional lens, we take what’s called a ‘systems approach’ to the work, listening to and valuing lived experience and locating it within broader systems and power structures. We deeply acknowledge the work and sacrifices of those who have gone before us, and we are steadfast in creating safe and inclusive spaces for all people to explore gendered experiences in the workplace. We do not tolerate any form of harassment, violence, bullying or discrimination, including sexism, ageism, ableism, racism, homophobia, biphobia or transphobia, from employees, consultants or clients.
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We know this work is challenging and that there is a lot to learn. Wherever possible, we strive to use relatable and industry-specific examples in our training and steer clear of academic jargon in our materials and resources. We believe the most effective way to create meaningful and measurable change is by meeting people where they’re at and making the work feel doable and digestible. As such, we bring a profound pragmatism and practicality to our work.
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With decades of combined industry experience in designing and delivering tailored whole-of-organisation approaches to gender equality, we’ve been doing this work for a long time. We pride ourselves on being able to offer up-to-date and evidence-based insights, always scanning our environment for new and emerging trends, in order to give you the confidence that you are investing in the leading edge of work in justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
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It is in our nature to find ways to relate to others and have compassion for where they're at right now. We do this by not only using real-world examples but by being prepared to be vulnerable ourselves and not being afraid to acknowledge our missteps. Our job is to leave no stereotype or sexist remark unchallenged, but we are committed to doing so in a compassionate and candid way, so that we can all learn and move forward together.
Commonly asked questions
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Yes! GenderWorks Australia is one of only a select few members of the Victorian Commission’s Panel of Providers, and we are also accredited by Our WATCh for the delivery of their industry-leading Workplace Equality and Respect programs.
Delivering on gender equality in the workplace requires a deep understanding of how to create a gender equitable and inclusive culture, how to safely challenge and manage resistance, and it comes with a responsibility to role model positive behaviours in the workplace.
If you would like to enquire about how we can support you to accelerate gender equality in your organisation, please get in touch via our Contact Page for a quote.
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Gender Impact Assessments or ‘GIAs’ are a way of critically addressing how policies, programs and services in your organisation meet the different needs of women, men and gender diverse people.
It is generally accepted that there are four steps for conducting a GIA. These are designed to enable you to record your analysis and achieve your reporting requirements and obligations under the Gender Equality Act. The Gender Equality Commission has recently released guidelines on progress reporting and we are always happy to guide you through the process. Please get in touch with us via our Contact Page if we can support you.
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After decades of doing this work, we believe that workplaces are where we — as practitioners — can make the most impact and accelerate a world where everyone can access and enjoy equal resources and opportunities, regardless of gender.
We are passionate about working in organisations of all sizes because we know they often reflect the trends and stereotypes happening in broader society. We also spend a significant portion of our lives at work in our current economic system, which makes them key settings for creating the much-needed societal change that’s needed.
And lastly, the current lack of equality — in all its forms — in the workplace is not only unfair and unjust; it is bad business. If we want to see intersectional gender equality in our lifetimes (and we do), then we need to get to work.
What does a gender equal workplace look like?
We believe that creating equality and closing the gender gap takes all of us — each of us playing our part, doing our bit, and contributing what resources and insights we have to make equality a reality. Yet without a strong and tangible idea of what we’re working towards, it can be hard to maintain momentum and energy on the path to equality. Here is what we know about what a gender equal workplace looks like.
It definitely does not look like…
✘ Pay inequality and lack of wage transparency
✘ Frequent reports of sexual harassment or bullying
✘ Unsupportive parental leave and flex work policies
✘ Lack of women in senior leadership + management
✘ Low morale and lack of understanding about gender
✘ Policies not worth the paper they’re written on
✘ Fear of being challenged or having tough conversations
Instead, it looks more like…
✔ Pay equality and salary benchmarking
✔ Safe, and skilled in responding to disclosures
✔ Engaged bystanders and senior leadership
✔ People on all levels are confident to speak up
✔ Diversity is celebrated and power is shared
✔ Everyone sees this work as their responsibility
✔ Policies and practices are aligned; staff walk the talk
Are you ready to replace the status quo with something better?
The way we see it — every day, we each have a choice: uphold the status quo or replace it with something better. If you also chose the latter, we’d love to hear from you.