First-of-its-kind program to address barriers for women in leadership

Leadership & Management: Diversity Council Australia (DCA), along with partners Settlement Services International (SSI) and Chief Executive Women (CEW) have today launched a ground-breaking project to build pathways to leadership for women from culturally and racially marginalised (CARM) and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.

Women on Boards conducted an audit of 232 organisations and found that while women comprised 46% of board directors across the sectors, culturally diverse women (women with non-Anglo Celtic origins) accounted for only 12.8%. Federal Government had only 7.5% of culturally diverse women directors compared to 48.5% of women directors overall, while 2.5% of ASX directors and 1% of ASX CEOs were women with non-Anglo Celtic origins.

The project, Realise. Inspire. Support. Energise. (RISE) will work to address the barriers that restrict CARM women’s progress into leadership roles in Australian organisations. The project will also assist organisations to better support CARM women into leadership.

Lisa Annese, CEO, Diversity Council Australia, said “DCA’s recent research into culturally and racially marginalised (CARM) women in leadership found that despite being ambitious, capable, resilient and well positioned to contribute to their own and their organisation’s success, CARM women continue to be scarce across senior leadership positions in Australia and internationally.”

DCA’s research results showed that 78% of CARM women wanted to advance to senior leadership levels. Yet, 65% agreed that CARM women employees received fewer opportunities for career advancements than other women. Also, 66% of the women said they felt they had to “act white” to get ahead and 85% felt they had to work twice as hard as employees who weren’t CARM women to get the same treatment or evaluation.

Ms Annese added “Our research recognised that it was not the women themselves, but structural barriers preventing CARM women accessing leadership. This program will work with Australian organisations to address those barriers. And in doing so create more inclusive organisations for CARM women.”

Speaking at the Public Sector Women of Colour Leadership & Allyship Summit, Dr Astrid Perry OAM, SSI Head of Women, Equity and Domestic Violence and the project lead for SSI, said this unique project offered an opportunity to work from all angles to advance the career trajectory for CARM women into leadership.

“The fact is that CARM women often struggle to be visible and respected in the workplace. Racial type-casting and ‘not fitting the culture of the company’ are used as justification as to why CARM women are not succeeding at the same rate as other women – let alone men,” she said.

“This project moves away from a deficit model, where CARM women have to improve their own prospects, to a solutions-focused model where structural barriers are addressed together with the support of guided conversations, career planning, mentoring and leadership programs.”

Susan Metcalf, CEO, Chief Executive Women, commented “The CEW Census, which tracks women’s representation in executive leadership teams, tells us we are 100 years from reaching gender balance in CEO roles on the ASX200. We must accelerate change. This program will play an active role in enabling women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds with access to CEW’s Leadership Development programs, providing them with the space and opportunity to learn, build new networks and accelerate their leadership journey.”

Over three years, the program will work with 25 organisations and 375 CARM women in middle management in those organisations to implement lasting change interventions and provide direct pathways for aspiring CARM women leaders. This will include CARM women participating in the CEW Leaders Program, which provides women with strengths-based leadership development coaching to help fast-track their career.

The program is funded by the Office for Women under the Women’s Leadership and Development Program.

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