Progress with women in the state sector

The National Council of Women says it's pleasing to see more women in leadership roles in the public service.

National President Rae Duff said the just released State Services Commission’s Human Resource Capability report showed the current proportion of female public service chief executives has increased to 38 per cent. If the current trend continues, the commission estimates 50 per cent of senior leaders will be female by 2021.

"The report shows women make up 52.2 per cent of public sector management and 44.2 per cent of senior leadership. This is set against 60.2 per cent of the public service being female. This shows an improving pipeline of women from which senior leaders and Chief Executives can be selected.

"Research shows workplaces with greater leadership diversity perform better,” says Rae. “It also ensures our public sector reflects the society it serves.

"The council welcomes the public release of this information, as data is essential for us to see how we are tracking and the impact of our initiatives. As noted in our white paper – Enabling women’s potential – the social, economic and ethical imperative – data, along with an understanding of the issue, are vital in achieving equality.

“We encourage all employers to read HRC report and implement the summary of actions it contains to increase women’s representation in leadership. We challenge other sectors to increase transparency in their reporting of workplace gender equality."

ENDS

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