Government legislation

  Despite different levels, formal equality has been achieved in many countries in the region. New Zealand is ahead of other countries regarding the progress made. The Employment Relations Act 2000 and the Human Rights Act 1993 protect women from sexual discrimination in most aspects of employment such as job advertisements, application forms and interviews (Hinton, 2018). The Equal Pay Act 1972 requires that men and women doing work requiring the same or similar skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions are paid the same (Employment New Zealand). This act has been amended in 2020 to focus on women in historically underpaid female-dominated industries, making sure that they receive the same remuneration as men in different but equal-value work. The new bill will make it easier for employees to raise pay equity claims (Sanchez et al.). 

​

  The Australian government created the Workplace Gender Equality Agency with the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012. It is charged with improving gender equality in Australian workplaces by providing advice and tools to employers. For example, the educational Competitor Analysis Benchmark Reports is published to enable employers to identify key areas for focus and develop strategies.

 

The Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 aims to remove barriers to the full participation of women in the workplace and improve the competitiveness of Australian business through the advancement of gender equality in employment. 

 

Organizations’ efforts

  Aside from government legislation, women’s organizations in the region have worked hard to promote gender equality in the workplace. The Australian Women Chamber of Commerce & Industry (AWCCI) is the only national business chamber for women in Australia. It assists self-employed women to succeed in their business endeavours by providing them with the contacts and resources to network with potential investors. The workshops held by AWCCI have been useful to boost the employability and competitiveness of women. For example, the 2012 Strategic Marketing Workshop provided insights of the experts in marketing, branding and PR into what customers want. There are the Business Continuity forums which educated female business owners to develop, implement and maintain a Business Continuity Plan (Workplace Gender Equality Agency). Fiona, who is a lawyer based in Melbourne and a participant of the workshops, shared that ‘I went to the AWCCI workshop and was blown away...I found it immensely valuable to meet predominantly with entrepreneurial women...I found that very empowering and encouraging’ (Australian Women Chamber of Commerce & Industry). 

​

  The National Council of Women of New Zealand (NCWNZ) has an old history of fighting gender inequality in all areas since its establishment in 1896. It has now developed 14 branches and more than 200 organizations. Economic independence has been one of its key areas for achieving equality (National Council of Women New Zealand). In 2017, it launched Gender Equal NZ which is a digital movement tackling gender stereotypes and sexist attitudes persisting in New Zealand (Gender Equal NZ). Making use of different social media platforms, it raises awareness of varying gender issues. For example, it reported that Pacific women have the lowest wages of any group in New Zealand in both private and public sectors consistently and called for actions from employers, government and unions to end gender and ethnic pay injustices.