Unilever Australia is to launch a new superannuation policy that provides 52 weeks of super for both male and female paid and unpaid primary carers leave.
Unilever announced its new plan saying it will ensure that parents taking primary carers leave, who are still predominantly women, can continue accruing superannuation and build long-term financial security.
The company's new plan is aimed to help rebalance gender wealth gap at retirement in what it calls its “ongoing commitment to ensure a more balanced and inclusive workplace for all of its workers in Australia”.
The average superannuation balance for females is 72.2 per cent of male counterparts in Australia (Roy Morgan, 2018).
Unilver says women make up 46.5 per cent of Unilever’s local workforce and 51.2 per cent of management positions in Australia and New Zealand.
As over 70 per cent of the company’s global consumers are female, the company says it is striving to build an organisation that reflects and understands the needs of people who buy its products.
Unilever Australia & New Zealand CEO Clive Stiff believes business can play an important role in creating a fairer, better and more equal world.
“The development and inclusion of half the world’s total talent pool has vast bearings on growth, competitiveness and future-readiness of economies and businesses. Leadership and accountability from the top are essential if real progress is to be made on closing the gap, which is why we remain committed to building a balanced and inclusive organisation,” Stiff said.
Unilever Australia was recently recognised by The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) for a second year in a row, named as an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality.
