Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012: Consultation on reporting matters

Transcription

1 Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012: Consultation on reporting matters SUBMISSION JANUARY 2013

2 Institution of Engineers Australia 2013 All rights reserved. Other than brief extracts, no part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. This document can be downloaded at Contact: Policy and Public Relations Engineers Australia 11 National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600 Tel:

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Engineers Australia welcomes the opportunity to provide comment on the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012: Consultation on reporting matters. Engineers Australia recognises the Act as an important step toward utilising the full productive capacity of Australia s workforce. For this submission Engineers Australia has drawn on the assistance and expertise of its Women in Engineering (WIE) National and Division Committees. The WIE Committees are dedicated to the ongoing transition of the profession into one that values, supports and celebrates the contribution of women. The Committees 2012 Women in Engineering: Industry Blueprint of Successful In-house Professional Women s Programs is a fundamental signpost for achieving true gender diversity in engineering workplaces. It examines the key successes and challenges in existing in-house gender diversity policies at major industry leaders and makes a number of recommendations on the next steps to be taken. An analysis of the two most recent Censuses, Engineers Australia s Changes in the Australian Engineering Labour Market, shows that in 2006, women engineering professionals made up just 10.6% of the supply of engineers. There was modest growth in this number to 2011, where women accounted for 15.7% of the increase in the supply of engineers for the five year period. The 2011 percentage of supply of engineering professionals represented by women was 11.8%. Even with record levels of skilled migration, unemployment in engineering is generally quite low. Despite this, unemployment is higher for women engineers than men, especially those born overseas. The 2011 Census unemployment rates for Australian-born men was 2.1%, and for women it was 2.6%. For overseas-born engineers unemployment rates were much higher. For men it was 4.2% and for women it was 7.9%, which is higher than the 5.6% overall unemployment rate for the Australian workforce. The forthcoming report on the Engineers Australia Survey of Working Environment and Engineering Careers 2012 goes even further into exploring the perceived differences in the profession and draws on the membership of Engineers Australia as its source. The survey respondents were volunteers and constituted an accurate representative pool of Engineers Australia members Labour force participation rates of trained men and women engineers are high compared to the Australian labour force as a whole. However, key findings of the survey point to factors such as management opportunities, remuneration and children and carer responsibilities as impediments to higher levels of women employed in engineering occupations. This submission is intended to inform the discourse on reporting and policy formulation for gender equality in the workplace by providing detailed information on the gender imbalance in the engineering profession. This issue is the primary focus of the Engineers Australia WIE Committees, and such they would gladly welcome the opportunity for further consultation. Page 3

4 INTRODUCTION Engineers Australia is the peak body for engineering practitioners in Australia, representing all disciplines and branches of engineering. With membership of over 100,000 Australia wide, Engineers Australia is the largest and most diverse professional engineering association in Australia. All Engineers Australia members are bound by a common commitment to promote engineering and to facilitate its practice for the common good. Engineers Australia maintains representation in every state and territory. Engineers Australia welcomes the opportunity to provide comment on the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012: Consultation on reporting matters. Engineers Australia recognises the Act as an important step toward utilising the full productive capacity of Australia s workforce. Statistics and surveys show that the current gender composition of the engineering profession is imbalanced; an overwhelming majority of professional engineers are men. This results in the underutilisation of a large pool of highly skilled workers and is detrimental to Australia s economy and productivity growth. For this submission Engineers Australia has drawn on the assistance and expertise of its Women in Engineering (WIE) National and Division Committees. The WIE Committees are dedicated to the ongoing transition of the profession into one that values, supports and celebrates the contribution of women. As a step toward achieving this goal, the WIE National Committee endorsed the UNIFEM Women s Empowerment Principles in In 2012 the Committees developed a blueprint in consultation with industry as a guide to developing in-house professional women s programs. The Women in Engineering Industry Blueprint of Successful In-house Professional Women s Programs 1 examines the key successes and challenges in existing in-house gender diversity policies at major industry leaders and makes a number of critical recommendations on the next steps to be taken. Engineers Australia is engaged in the analysis of demographic measures of the engineering team. A statistical overview is produced each year, as well as a number of other documents assessing the status of the profession. Sources include government-collected data (particularly the Census), surveys and papers produced by similar organisations. The most recent of these, Changes in the Australian Engineering Labour Market was completed in November 2012 and highlights the ongoing under-representation of women in the engineering profession. The other key point from the assessment of professional engineering statistics shows that Australia is overly dependent on skilled migration. Over 70% of the growth in the supply of engineers between the 2006 and 2011 Censuses came from skilled migration. Becoming less dependent on this source must be a priority for Australia, which means making use of existing engineering talent. Increasing the participation of women in engineering will be crucial in this endeavour. To gain more information from its members about workplace conditions, including gender-related issues, Engineers Australia conducted a survey entitled the Survey of Working Environment and Engineering Careers The results of the survey reveal a number of major gender divides, including unequal remuneration and decision-making responsibilities between men and women. This submission is intended to inform the discourse on reporting and policy formulation for gender equality in the workplace by providing detailed information on the gender imbalance in the engineering profession, as well as the way forward. 1 Available at Page 4

5 A GUIDE FOR INDUSTRY The Women in Engineering Industry Blueprint of Successful In-house Professional Women s Programs was developed in consultation with industry after a number of large organisations approached the WIE Committees for guidance. It looks at programs proven to encourage and retain women in the engineering profession including a target outcome, some of the best methods to achieve success and the steps to get ahead. The blueprint suggests a target outcome of enhanced business opportunities through equality. The benefits of this include: Employer of choice Higher retention levels Greater profitability due to greater resource choice Diverse engineering workforce demographic that reflects the community and client profiles Increased creativity, productivity and effectiveness Broader talent pool for succession planning Inclusive, cooperative and engaging work environment and culture Greater opportunities for women at all levels of the engineering organisation both technical & managerial roles Improved client relations Diversity of thought and new approaches to business. Proven methods for success with existing industry women in engineering programs are run by bold, change-driven organisations. An organisation s leadership, especially the CEO, must be fully committed to the program, allocate sufficient resources and have a clear, well-documented plan in place outlining exactly what they hope to achieve. An education program for all staff is critical for building the right workplace culture. There is a comprehensive list of strategic objectives in the blueprint. Some of the challenges organisations might face as they attempt to implement a successful program include changing entrenched traditional expectations and behaviours, resource restrictions and conflicting priorities, lack of engagement and inconsistent execution of the program, amongst other things. The next steps an organisation can take to prepare or implement a professional women s program are: 1. Get a pro-active team together including a senior champion who wants to make a difference 2. Work to the strengths of the team and organisation 3. Connect with relevant industry associations and programs for ideas 4. Think it through for your particular organisation. Don t just do what other organisations do because it might not be appropriate for your circumstances 5. Make a longer term plan (e.g. 3 years) and set objectives and appropriate measures. For example: % of female engineers recruited, % of females in senior leadership roles, services/programs developed to support females in a sustainable career 6. CEO announcement and senior leadership support with business plan and budget approval. The blueprint has a number of leading industry partners and is a critical step toward growing the number of women engineers in Australia. Page 5

6 STATISTICS ON WOMEN IN ENGINEERING Engineers Australia s most recent examination of engineering demographic statistics in November 2012, Changes in the Australian Engineering Labour Market, 2 highlights the ongoing underrepresentation of women in the engineering profession. In 2006, women engineering professionals made up just 10.6% of the supply of engineers. There was modest growth in this number to 2011, where women accounted for 15.7% of the increase in the supply of engineers for the five year period. The 2011 percentage of supply of engineering professionals represented by women was 11.8%. Tables 1 and 2 provide detailed statistics on the engineering profession and a comparison between the two most recent Censuses, as well as a breakdown by gender and Australian- or overseas-born categories. The reason for the separation by place of birth is due to the extremely high level of skilled migrant engineers supplementing Australia s inadequate supply over the past decade. Engineers Australia s 2012 The Engineering Profession: a statistical overview reported that more than 50% of Australia s supply of professional engineers were born overseas. Even with record levels of skilled migration, unemployment in engineering is generally quite low. Despite this, unemployment is higher for women engineers than men, especially those born overseas. The 2011 Census unemployment rates for Australian-born men was 2.1%, and for women it was 2.6%. For overseas-born engineers unemployment rates were much higher. For men it was 4.2% and for women it was 7.9%, which is higher than the 5.6% overall unemployment rate for the Australian workforce. Engineering qualifications are not a guarantee that individuals are employed in engineering. The 2011 Census reported that just 62.2% of Australian-born women in the workforce with engineering qualifications were employed in engineering (compared with 70.6% of men in the same category). It was even lower for overseas-born women engineers at just 45.4% (compared with 57.2% of men in the same category). Table 1: Engineering labour market statistics from the 2006 Census Labour force status Australian-born Overseas-born Engineering Team Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Employed FT Employed PT TOTAL EMPLOYED Unemployed (FT ) Unemployed (PT ) TOTAL UNEMPLOYED LABOUR FORCE Not in labour force Eng Population Participation Rate (%) Unemployment Rate (%) Employed in Eng % in Employed in Eng Available at Page 6

7 Table 2: Engineering labour market statistics from 2011 Census Labour force status Australian-born Overseas-born Engineering Team Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Employed FT Employed PT TOTAL EMPLOYED Unemployed (FT ) Unemployed (PT ) TOTAL UNEMPLOYED LABOUR FORCE Not in labour force Eng Population Participation Rate (%) Unemployment Rate (%) Employed in Eng % in Employed in Eng Page 7

8 PERCEPTIONS OF WOMEN IN ENGINEERING The forthcoming report on the Engineers Australia Survey of Working Environment and Engineering Careers 2012 goes even further into exploring the perceived differences in the profession and draws on the membership of Engineers Australia as its source. The survey respondents were volunteers and constituted an accurate representative pool of Engineers Australia members. 3 As demonstrated in the statistics cited above, the labour force participation rates of trained men and women engineers are high compared to the Australian labour force as a whole. However, key findings of the survey point to factors such as management opportunities, remuneration and children and carer responsibilities as impediments to higher levels of women employed in engineering occupations. Figure 1 provides a breakdown of survey respondents by age category and gender; this information has been taken into account in the analysis of survey data and remaining differences reflect the gender disparity in the engineering profession. Figure 1: The Age and Gender Structure of Survey Participants 45.0 Men Women Age Group % of Gender to to to to to & over Age Groups Management and decision-making The survey found that 52% of women did not partake in any organisational decision-making. This is due in part to the younger age profile of women engineers overall, as seen in Figure 1 above. Despite this younger profile skewing the general response, it was also evident that from the and higher age categories, women engineers were less likely to have management responsibilities than men. Figure 2 is a representation of the percentage of women and men respondents participation in organisational decision-making. 3 NB: respondents were drawn from Engineers Australia s membership only, not the wider engineering population. Page 8

9 Figure 2: Participation in Organisational Decision-making Women Men Always Most of the time Sometimes Never % of Gender Group Age and experience are important factors determining involvement in organisational decision-making, and so too is the organisational distribution of employment. The proportion of women employed in small organisations is less than the number of men and, conversely, the proportion employed in larger organisations is higher than men. Survey results show that there is higher involvement in decisionmaking in smaller organisations than larger ones, therefore women are not best-placed for decisionmaking. Remuneration Aside from the years age category, the survey results show that women engineers earn lower salaries than men. Previous studies have reported this result using aggregate statistics that confuse the influences of full- and part-time work, age and experience. These influences were accounted for using the Chi-squared method to analyse respondents reported salaries, and the results show that in all age categories of part-time employees, women earned less than their male counterparts. This was the same in all age categories except years for full-time employees. Working hours The survey results suggest that women and men have different perceptions about the working week. Proportionally, more women than men work a standard working week, 4 while more men than women work hours longer than a standard working week. Long hours appear to be standard for men; more than 58% indicated that they work more than 41 hours per week. The equivalent figure for women was 42%. The availability of flexible working hours and arrangements are becoming more prevalent for both genders, and is largely affected by the size of their employer. Smaller organisations generally offer 4 Based on a standard working week of hours. Page 9

10 more flexible working hours, but job-sharing, leave without pay, carer s leave and parental leave is more readily available in larger organisations. Despite the increase in availability of flexible working conditions, their utilisation is not at the same level. The reasons for this anomaly were not explored in the survey. Carer responsibilities Care of children and dependents was an important issue for about one quarter of survey participants and a large portion did not have access to adequate care providers. Over 81% of women and 74% of men respondents said that family friendly working environments were important to them. There was a strong indication that women were more inclined to this view at aggregate level and in all age categories. There is also considerable evidence that when women are responsible for the care of children their employment participation rate falls, and is more prevalent in engineering than other professions Figure 3: Labour Force Participation and Number of Children; Engineering Compared to Other Fields Engineering 2006 Engineering 2011 Comparison 2006 Comparison Participation Rate (%) or more Number of Children Figure 3 illustrates labour force participation rates for women with no children and women with one or more children. A number of estimates are included in the diagram; the 2006 Census is compared to the 2011 Census and in each case engineering is compared to other fields requiring a similar level of qualifications. Labour force participation rates for women were higher than men in both Censuses, irrespective of their field of work. There is a trend of falling labour force participation for women as the number of dependent children rises. When compared with other fields requiring a similar level of qualifications, the fall in participation rates for women engineers is dramatic. Qualifications Survey respondents reporting their level of engineering qualifications revealed that women are equally as, or more qualified than men in most categories. Table 3 below divides respondents into gender and age categories. Of particular note is the doctorate category, in which a higher percentage of Page 10

11 women have qualifications in all age groups but 70 and over. The table is a reflection of the age structure of respondents, and the generally younger age profile of women engineers. Table 3: The Highest Engineering Qualifications Held by Survey Participants (%) Men Age Group (years) Qualification 20 to to to to to & over Total* Doctorate Masters Other Postgraduate Bachelors Associate/Advanced Diplomas & Other Women Doctorate Masters Other Postgraduate Bachelors Associate/Advanced Diplomas & Other Training Continuous professional development is essential for maintaining current knowledge in engineering practice. Survey respondents reported a negligible gender difference in continuous professional development opportunities offered by employers during business hours. Less than one third of all respondents reported that their employer offered networking or continuous professional development opportunities to staff on maternity leave. Page 11

12 CONCLUSION The statistics and survey results presented in this submission are strong evidence of a genderimbalance in the engineering profession. It goes beyond providing mere background information; they show significant gender differences in the profession and a complex set of reasons underlying the difficulty in retaining skilled women engineers. Overcoming these challenges must be a priority if Australia is to fulfill its economic and productivity potential. At 10.6% of the supply of engineers in 2006 and 11.8% in 2011, women are enormously underrepresented in the engineering profession. Unemployment rates for women engineers, especially for those born overseas, are higher than those for their male counterparts. The 2011 Census unemployment rates for Australian-born men was 2.1%, and for women it was 2.6%. For all overseasborn engineers unemployment rates were much higher. For men it was 4.2% and for women it was 7.9%, which is higher than the 5.6% overall unemployment rate for the Australian workforce. The Engineers Australia Survey of Working Environment and Engineering Careers 2012 goes even further into exploring the differences in the profession. Fewer decision-making opportunities, unequal remuneration and childcare responsibilities are some of the key findings of the survey, highlighting the gender imbalance between men and women professional engineers. The survey found that 52% of women respondents did not partake in any organisational decisionmaking. This is due in part to the younger age profile of women engineers overall, however it was also evident that from the and higher age categories, women engineers were less likely to have management responsibilities than men. Aside from the years age category, the survey results show that women engineers employed full-time earn lower salaries than men employed full-time, and in all age categories of part-time employees, women earned less than their male counterparts. There was also considerable evidence that when women are responsible for the care of children their employment participation rate falls, and this is more prevalent in engineering than other professions. Their younger age profile and modest growth in the supply of women engineers suggests that changes are underway and more women are choosing to study engineering, however this will be a very long-term transition. In the short-term, obstacles such as higher unemployment rates, fewer decision-making opportunities, unequal remuneration and childcare responsibilities can easily be ameliorated. The Women in Engineering Industry Blueprint of Successful In-house Professional Women s Programs is an important signpost for future industry action to encourage and retain women in the engineering profession. This submission is intended to inform the discourse on reporting and policy formulation for gender equality in the workplace by providing detailed information on the gender imbalance in the engineering profession and the way forward. The Engineers Australia Women in Engineering National and Division Committees welcome the opportunity for further consultation on this issue. Page 12

13