The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is #PressForProgress.  Now more than ever there is a strong call to motivate and unite friends, colleagues and communities to think, act and be gender inclusive.  Since the last International Women’s Day, we have seen movements like the #MeToo and #TimesUp campaigns which have been fuelled by women’s equality.  We know that gender equality won’t happen overnight, but the more people who can be involved in taking the stand, the sooner it will happen.

As a woman working in the financial services industry, I can clearly say that for many years it has been a man’s world.  However, according to the Australian Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency statistics from April 2016, there seems to have been a shift.  They are now recording in the financial and insurance services industry that the majority of part time and full time workers is held by women at 55% (read the fact sheet here).

I’d like to ask, where are all the ladies?  Every time I have been to an external seminar or function, it is obvious who the dominant gender is, and it’s certainly not mine.  However, here at The Investment Collective, out of our total 41 staff members, 27 of those are women, meaning we hold a 66% majority.  If we then drill down to the individual offices, women hold the majority in Rockhampton with a whopping 83%. Go girls! Our Melbourne office is a little under the majority at 41%.

Regardless of where you work, or what community you’re involved in, we can all play our part in gender equality.  For more information on International Women’s Day or to commit to a ‘gender parity mindset’ head to their website: www.internationalwomensday.com and #PressForProgress.