Kellogg Australia, Lion and Diageo are among the 119 companies awarded with the Employer of Choice for Gender Equality (EOCGE) citation from Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), recognising employer commitment and practice in gender equality in the workplace.
The report, released by WGEA and the University of Queensland’s AIBE Centre for Gender Equality in the Workplace, examined the actions taken by citation holders between 2013-14 and 2017-18, providing a “blueprint” for gender equality in the workplace for any organisation to follow.
The key findings revealed EOCGE organisations had a faster reduction in gender pay gaps than other reporting organisations, a higher representation of women in all management levels, senior roles and on company boards.
WGEA director Libby Lyons said the citation had generated “significant change” in these organisations, as found in the report.
“This new research shows that positive and measurable improvements have been made by our EOCGE citation holders,” said Lyons.
“These leading employers are closing their pay gaps and increasing their representation of women in management at a faster rate than other employers in our dataset. These findings alone demonstrate the tangible and positive impact of the EOCGE citation.”
Australian food and beverage manufacturers are among the list, including Lion for its third consecutive year, Diageo Australia, The Smith’s Snackfood Company, Unilever Australia, and for the first time, Kellogg Australia.
“Receiving this recognition from WGEA is an overwhelming recognition for Kellogg, and one that we’re incredibly proud to accept,” said Kellogg’s ANZ CEO Esme Borgelt.
“Currently, 45 per cent of Kellogg’s Australian senior positions are held by women, with the recent appointment of their first female Plant Director to run the Australian manufacturing plant – a milestone in the company’s local history.”
Lion Group CEO Stuart Irvine said the company is on track to reach its 50:50 gender target by 2026, with 40.2 per cent of female employees.
“We have always known that progress in this regard would take time, but it’s fantastic to see our strategies, such as making flexible work mainstream, and closing the gender pay gap – and conducting regular analyses to keep it closed, are yielding results,” said Irvine.
For the full list of citation holders, visit the WGEA site here.
