Women in the Workplace
More women than ever are participating in the workplace. In August 2000, the participation rate of women reached an all time high of 55.5 per cent. The gap between male and female earnings has narrowed since 1996.
The Government continues to place an emphasis on achieving a better balance between work and family responsibilities. For women in the workforce it provides particular support through:
- the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999 and the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA). EOWA offers pragmatic and solutions-oriented advice to assist employers to comply with the Act and to move beyond compliance to see that enabling women to fully contribute to the best of their ability is a critical priority for Australian business; and
- the Workplace Relations Act 1996 (WR Act). A central objective of the WR Act is to assist employees to balance their work and family responsibilities effectively through the development of mutually beneficial work practices with employers. The WR Act also requires the Australian Industrial Relations Commission to implement the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value and provides an extensive range of provisions to help prevent and eliminate discrimination on a range of grounds, including sex.
Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency
In 2001, employers will report for the first time under the Government's Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999 for 2000-01. In 2001-02 the Government will provide $4.2 million over the next three years to enhance the role of the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) in promoting equal opportunity in workplaces. This will enable EOWA to deliver the new improved on-line reporting and enhance the Agency's new expanded educative focus working to assist employers and building strategic partnerships. The Government continues to fund the EOWA Advisory Board to support and facilitate effective communications between employers and EOWA as part of this initiative.
Women's human rights and anti-discrimination
The Government continues to address the issue of discrimination against women and has taken the lead in the area of pregnancy or potential pregnancy discrimination.
In November 2000, the Government responded to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission's report into pregnancy and work issues. The Government's response to the report puts forward practical and concrete steps to remove workplace discrimination against pregnant and potentially pregnant women. These include:
- the development and launch by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner in April 2001 of the Pregnancy Guidelines that aim to provide practical guidance and assistance to employers and employees about workplace pregnancy issues;
- amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 to clarify that discrimination on the ground of breastfeeding is prohibited; ensure that there is no confusion about the prohibition on asking questions at job interviews about pregnancy or potential pregnancy and to ensure that information gathered from medical examinations about pregnancy is not used for discriminatory purposes; and
- a public information campaign to raise awareness of, and inform employers and employees about, their rights and responsibilities regarding pregnancy and potential pregnancy issues in the workplace.
