Overview

Overview

The GEAP helps your organisation:

• understand gender equality and why it is important
• use the 7 indicators(opens in a new window) to find out about gender equality in your workplace
• take action to improve gender equality
• measure progress to stay on track.

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Why this work is important

Your GEAP is a plan to improve gender equality in your workplace. It aims to make meaningful changes.

It helps you address the root causes of gender inequality. This will lead to long-term improvements.

This is called a gender-transformative approach.

It means ending bias in your organisation. This includes organisational rules, decisions, policies, practices and gendered stereotypes.

Gender inequality in the workplace is caused by organisational systems. It happens when these systems do not consider people of different genders.

View Our Watch’s video on Workplace equality and respect: standards for your organisation(opens in a new window). This will help you better understand workplace equality and respect.

Visit the Our Watch website(opens in a new window) for more resources on workplace gender equality, including:

• Workplace equality and respect standards(opens in a new window)
• Workplace equality and respect: how-to guide(opens in a new window)
• Workplace positive duty standards(opens in a new window)

Objectives of the Act

The objectives of the Gender Equality Act 2020 are to:

• promote and encourage gender equality
• improve the status of women
• help identify and remove systemic causes of gender inequality. This includes in policies, programs and delivery of services in workplaces and communities
• recognise that other forms of disadvantage or discrimination make gender inequality worse. This includes characteristics such as Aboriginality, age, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation and other attributes
• create structural change to:
  • redress disadvantage
  • prevent stigma, stereotyping, prejudice and violence
  • accommodate people of different genders
• improve economic and social participation by people of different genders
• promote the right to equality. This is set out in the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Your GEAP will help you meet these goals.

Other benefits of your GEAP

Your GEAP can also:

• improve staff wellbeing – fair and inclusive workplaces boost morale and job satisfaction
• improve organisational performance – gender equality improves innovation, adaptability and productivity
• attract and keep talented staff – gender equality helps you recruit and retain staff
• reduce turnover costs – spend less time and money hiring and training new staff
• future proof your organisation – adapting to social changes keeps your organisation relevant
• reflect the communities you serve – diverse communities deserve a diverse workforce
• enhance your external image and brand – boost your reputation by embracing gender equality.

Organisational change

Your journey towards achieving gender equality is a change process.

Changing established practices, behaviours and systems can be challenging.

It takes leadership commitment, time, persistent effort and resources. However, it will lead to lasting improvements.

Your journey may look different to other organisations (duty holders(opens in a new window)). This is because organisation’s systems, culture, people and processes are different.