Labor’s Gender Equality Bill Disadvantages Men: Associate Professor

Workplace gender norms aren’t just holding women back—men who embrace caregiving roles or show vulnerability face stigma too.

Workers at a construction project in Newcastle, Australia, on May 13, 2024. Roni Bintang/Getty Images

A parliamentary committee has been informed about a lack of focus on the needs of men in the push for workplace gender equality in Australia.

During a recent inquiry hearing on the Workplace Gender Equality Amendment (Setting Gender Equality Targets) Bill 2024, Leonora Risse, an associate professor at the University of Canberra, raised concerns about some men struggling under existing gender norms.

She gave an example of how men were squeezed out of caregiving roles and faced difficulties in applying for parental leave due to social stigma.

“Research points towards where we’ve done a lot to legitimise women in the workforce, because we need the workforce numbers and that educated workforce, but we haven’t done the same to normalise men’s roles across work, home, and community life,” she said.

The associate professor also noted that there was disturbing evidence that men who followed traditional norms about trying to be tough and brave, and not showing emotion, fear, and vulnerability, had a higher rate of male suicide, mental health problems, and depression.

“So that’s a real piece of well-being evidence that we haven’t really brought into the fold here. Where does it take us in terms of workplace gender equality?” she asked.

A Need to Change Gender Perspectives

While Risse acknowledged that Australia still had strong cultural norms of men being the breadwinner and the head of the house, she said there was a need to change some prevalent perspectives.

“I think there is something to be said about articulating that when men step into caregiving or spend more time in community work and not necessarily going for the top promotion–[it] is still an achievement,” she said.

“It’s still something that fits within masculinised ideals of achievement and fulfilment, and it’s not letting anyone down, or falling short of what it is to be a man.”

Risse also stated that discussions about improving areas where men are currently under-represented in the workplace should be considered healthy and good for businesses.

“It’s good for well-being, productivity, mental health. It’s enabling more women to be more attached to the workforce,” she said.

Disconnection Between Research and Companies’ Perspectives

At the same time, Risse said that there was a disconnect between research on gender equality in the workplace and companies’ perspectives.

She explained that many businesses, especially in the United States, were not convinced that improving gender equality would bring about benefits for their organisation, as shown in some research.

“Imagine saying to Elon Musk, or hypothetical, a male CEO who’s already highly successful, what you need is more women to improve your profitability,” she said.

“Because it’s not just not part of their equation. They already feel profitable enough or successful enough, so there’s no strong evidence that simply putting forward that research is going to change [their] business’ outlook.

“They don’t see anything wrong or faulty about their existing system that needs fixing or adding to.”