Category: Workforce Discrimination

Constant housework: Census 2016 reveals women still doing the bulk of it

The first release of data from the 2016 Census shows the typical Australian woman spends between five and 14 hours a week doing unpaid domestic housework. For the typical Australian man it’s less than five hours a week, suggesting women still assume the lions’ share of the housework.

Women spend more time in housework even when they are single and working full-time. Although single women do slightly more housework than single men, it’s during singlehood that housework time is most equal by gender. When women start to cohabit, their housework time goes up while men’s goes down, regardless of their employment status. These gender gaps in housework linger over time and widen even further when children enter the picture.

This means women’s total lifetime earnings are reduced, it also shortens their career ladders and results in superannuation earnings that are significantly less than their male counterparts. In fact, one in three Australian women retire with nothing in their superannuation.

https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/soapbox/constant-housework-census-2016-reveals-women-still-bulk/
https://womensagenda.com.au/uncategorised/time-buy-house-anyway-stress-debt-hard-work-ahead-22-year-old-woman/
http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3310114.nsf/home/2016+Census+National

When men talk gender diversity and the lies that are told to women

Denniss offered some “stinging” and hard truths, sharing his four tips on how to actually close the super gap:

“Step one, don’t go into the caring profession. Don’t. You will never ever match men’s super if you choose low paid work. Two. Don’t take time out of the labour market to care for children, if you understand the genius of compounding interest you’ll know the more you put away when you’re young the more you’ll have later on. Three. Don’t take time out of the workforce when you’re older to care for your parents or your partners parents.

“Four. This is the summary one. Be a man! We invented superannuation’s, it’s the last vestiges of the male breadwinner, harvester male model. It works well for well paid people like me who don’t take lots of time out of the workforce.”

https://womensagenda.com.au/uncategorised/men-talk-gender-diversity-lies-told-women/

‘We’ve been changing in public toilets’: Republic of Ireland women threaten to strike

Members of the Republic of Ireland women’s football team have threatened to go on strike after accusing their governing body of failing to provide the team adequate support, including being forced to get changed in public toilets on the way to matches and sharing tracksuits with youth-team squads.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/apr/04/republic-ireland-women-strike?

Iceland mandates equal pay to cut the pay gap. Of course they do.

Not content with being ranked 1st in the world as the most gender equal country in the world and unwilling to accept a seven percent pay gap.

Nope, the Nordic utopia will not rest until gender equity is achieved.

The latest proof lies in a bill introduced in Iceland’s parliament on Tuesday to mandate equal pay by asking employers to prove they pay men and women equally.

If passed, and given it enjoys support from both major parties (envy again!) it’s likely, it will require public and private businesses to demonstrate they offer equal pay.

https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/iceland-to-make-companies-prove-they-pay-men-and-women-equally/

Lawyers condemn ‘gendered’ government stance on minimum wage

The gender pay gap in Australia will be exacerbated by the position the federal government has taken with respect to increasing the minimum wage, according to the Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR).

The group has expressed concern about aspects of the government submission which shares the view that most low-wage jobs are temporary. Adopting the view that poorly paid work is temporary overlooks key groups, such as middle-aged women, single mothers and migrant women who experience less wage progression on the whole, the ALHR said.

“The government’s misplaced assumptions about the transitory nature of low-paid work totally ignore the gendered nature of employment mobility and systemic discrimination that women may face.”

https://www.lawyersweekly.com.au/news/20870-lawyers-condemn-gendered-government-stance-on-minimum-wage

Talitha Cummins, Tracey Spicer and Monty faced pregnancy discrimination

It is a travesty that women are still facing blatant discrimination upon falling pregnant, giving birth or returning to work.

Aside from women working in lower paying industries, the fact that more women work part-time and take time out of the workforce to care for children, are all reasons why we have a gender pay gap.

https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/eds-blog/talitha-cummins-tracey-spicer-and-monty-faced-pregnancy-discrimination/
https://womensagenda.com.au/leadership/advice/how-i-respond-to-sexist-attitudes/
https://womensagenda.com.au/uncategorised/the-pay-gap-explained/

Minimum wage rise wasted on women, says government

The government has resorted to 1970s-style “breadwinner” arguments to urge against a minimum wage rise that would benefit women and young people.

In a staggering submission to the Fair Work Commission, the government has urged against a minimum wage rise because it will benefit married women, young workers and people in “temporary” low-paid work.

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/turnbull-government-warns-fair-work-commission-against-excessive-minimum-wage-rise-20170329-gv9azu
https://www.crikey.com.au/2017/03/30/minimum-wage-rise-wasted-on-women-says-government/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=30032017

£17,500 awarded in sex discrimination case for worker boss called ‘a witch’

AN AIRFIELD worker dubbed the “witch up North” by her Buckinghamshire-based boss has won her case for sex discrimination at an industrial tribunal.

Joanne Batham is set to receive more than £17,000 in compensation after she was sacked from her job in Moray by Safeskys Ltd managing director Richard Barber.

She was named Manager of the Year for 2014, but became aware that her duties were almost identical to those of two other Safeskys employees in England and Wales, who received bigger salaries.The 42-year-old raised the matter with Mr Barber, but was told that there were commercial reasons she was paid a lesser wage, and that she could leave if she was not happy with her salary.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15168530.__17_500_award_for_worker_boss_called____a_witch___/#articleContinue

Cuts to sole parent benefits are human rights violations

Sole parents in Australia are economically vulnerable and are experiencing ongoing cuts to their social security. Legislation limiting welfare benefits that was rushed through the Senate last week will make many of them poorer – but how is this a human rights issue?

Australia is party to many United Nations human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The covenant contains a right to social security, which countries owe to everyone. It requires countries to guarantee that the rights in the covenant are upheld without discrimination.

https://theconversation.com/cuts-to-sole-parent-benefits-are-human-rights-violations-74844

Outrage after transgender weight lifter wins comp

A transgender weightlifter from New Zealand has sparked controversy after winning a competition in Australia.

Lauren Hubbard, 39, made her debut as a contender for the Commonwealth Games in the 90kg+ class at the Australian International in Melbourne on Sunday.

Ms Hubbard, who was born Gavin until she transitioned in her mid-30s, blew her rivals out of the water by winning her division by 19kg.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4329600/Outrage-transgender-weight-lifter-wins-comp.html