The survey, funded by the Department of Social Services, the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) and managed by the Melbourne Institute, found that in the four weeks leading up to this year’s survey, almost one in five women reported working when they were physically unwell, while 16.8 per cent of employed men said they worked while feeling physically unwell. 

Roughly the same number of women reported working when they were mentally unwell, while just 11.1 per cent of men did the same. 

Those with a moderate or severe disability or in poor mental health were also much more likely to work when unwell. 

The 18th Annual Statistical Report of the HILDA Survey is a nationally representative longitudinal study of Australian households, following the lives of more than 17,000 Australians each year since 2001. 

Collecting information on many aspects of life in Australia, including household and family relationships, income and employment, and health and education, this year’s survey revealed some startling trends for women. Here, we look at a few of them. 

Working conditions

Men were less likely than women to be primarily working from home, the latest study found. In 2019, a mere 3.5 per cent per cent of people worked entirely from home, and 6.5 per cent worked at least 50 per cent of the time from home. In 2021, the figures shot up to 17.7 per cent and 24.3 respectively. 

The industries with the highest number of people mainly working from home are financial and insurance services, information media and telecommunications. Meanwhile, those working in retail, hospitality, education and arts were less likely to be working from home. 

The study also found a link between the number of employed parents and their use of formal child care. Unemployed mothers were less likely to seek formal child care. Unemployed fathers also lead to a decrease in using child care services, however the percentage reduced was much lower. 

The study concluded that the reason for these associations could either be that full-time employment could lead to the use of formal child care, or that having access to formal child care can be a precondition to seeking full time paid employment. 

The number of women in paid employment has also risen, especially in the group aged 65 to 69, where currently, one in four are employed.

Roughly 40 per cent of women aged between 18-64 are now employed full-time, while the proportion of men in that age group continue to be largely employed full time (70 per cent).

The gender pay gap is also slowly shrinking. In 2016, women earned just 78 per cent of what men earned. The latest study showed that now, women earn approximately 86 per cent of what men earn — still an extremely problematic figure. 

The average earnings made by a woman has also risen, though not to the heights of men. In 2021, the average female earning rose to 75 per cent of male average earnings, an increase from 2001 of 66 per cent. 

Marriage

Fewer Australians are now deciding to walk down the aisle compared to a few decades ago. The percentage of women who were married in 2001 was 54.5 per cent. In 2021, that number dropped down to 48.2 per cent. 

More women are now opting to be in de facto relationships. Between 2001 to 2021, the percentage went from 8.9 per cent to 14.3 per cent. Similar figures were found with men. 

The largest cohort of Australians who have decided to waive marriage are those aged between 25 to 34. Generally, less people are partnering up in conventional, romantic relationships. 

Between 2002 to 2004, 31.1 per cent of men and 26.8 per cent of women self-identified as being in a romantic relationship. Between the 2014 to 2016 period, that figure dropped to 26.7 per cent of men and 23.7 per cent of women. 

When it comes to self-assessed relationship satisfaction, women aged 40 to 59 reported lower relationship satisfaction than their male counterparts. 

Last year’s HILDA study already charted a growing number of Australians drifting away from living with their intimate partner. Dr Esperanza Vera-Toscano, an economist and senior research fellow at the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, attributed the “qualitative shift in our understanding of family” to a progressive framework of thinking.

“We need get used to the fact that the traditional pathway of meeting someone, having a relationship that ends up in marriage and children, has changed,” she said. “There are other situations that need to be brought into the picture. It’s important we understand them.”

Loneliness and psychological distress

Those aged between 15-24 now encompass the highest portion of lonely individuals. In the period between 2001 and 2009, the greatest proportion of lonely people were those aged 65 and older. 

The study’s co-author Dr Ferdi Botha, said “There is a clear trend of younger people becoming lonelier and feeling more isolated as time goes on.” 

“If there aren’t actions taken or policies implemented to intervene, we may see loneliness and psychological distress increasing in the younger generations and this may lead to lower mental and physical wellbeing and other wider societal issues,” he said in a statement. 

“Loneliness increased in the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, but for young people, there is a longer-term trend increase apparent. It may be that this is partly connected to growth in smart phones and social media use.” 

People in the youngest age cohort (15-24) also reported the highest average distress scores, with 42.3 per cent of them reporting they were psychologically distressed in 2021. Women aged 15 to 24 reported higher levels of distress than older women in the 35 to 54 and 65 and over age category, showing that the average psychological distress levels declined with age. 

Overall, women also reported higher levels of psychological distress. Between 2007 to 2021, the prevalence of psychological distress among women increased by roughly 63 per cent. In 2021, almost one in three women said they were in distress, compared to 22.7 per cent of men. The study measured participants’ psychological distress by asking them questions such as, “In the last four weeks, about how often did you feel tired out for no good reasons? Nervous? Hopeless? Depressed?”

Use of prescription drugs in Australia

More women are using strong painkillers than men, the latest study found. Almost thirty per cent of women reported using strong painkillers or pain-relievers with opioids in them, and 14 per cent reported using tranquillisers and/or sleeping pills. 

The strong painkillers may include Tramadol, Fentanyl, Oxycodone, morphine, codeine products such as Panadeine Forte. 

According to the study’s authors, most respondents were using the strong painkillers only infrequently, “…suggesting they are primarily used for temporary relief from pain, anxiety or sleep issues.” 

“However, it is crucial to acknowledge that these drugs have potential negative consequences, such as addiction, overdose and harmful interactions.” 

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The show will be hosted by a woman and at least half of its guests will be women. The female-run, independent network will present the show once a month, addressing issues such as the shortage of female teachers, gender discrimination in politics, and the impacts of environmental issues on women. 

According to the Guardian, the show will operate in a similar style to the UK’s BBC Question Time, where a team of reporters will visit venues across the country and invite the public to participate and contribute their opinions.  

Fathi Mohamed Ahmed, the chief editor of Bilan, believes her media company provides a vital alternative to the current media content in Somalia, which “just focus[es] on politics and conflict.”

“There are so many stories to do on Somali society, especially about Somali people, and what is going on here,” she said. “We are going to have all those stories.”

In December, the host Naima Said Salah featured in the show’s pilot episode, discussing menstruation education and health with young women. 

“Women, including me, never had the opportunity to learn about periods as girls; even our own mums don’t discuss it,” Salah said. “People think this is taboo, but it is a fact; it exists and we cannot ignore it.”

The episode was praised for its candid discussions with young women, many who lack access to basic and essential hygiene products, forcing them to use risky forms of protection including tree barks, old clothes, socks and newspapers.

“One young woman in the audience shared her own experience,”  Salah, a senior reporter at Bilan, said. “She remembered the exact time and day when her period started because she had no idea what was happening. She thought she was dying. It was only after she told her older sister, that she understood.” 

Somalia is the most dangerous country for journalists in Africa. More than 50 journalists have been killed in the past twelve years. In the Global Impunity Index by The Committee to Protect Journalists – a list that calculates the number of unsolved journalist murders as a percentage of a country’s population, Somalia ranks last. 

The country was ranked by the UN as the fourth-lowest for gender equality globally. Women and girls in Somalia face harrowing challenges, with maternal and infant mortality rates among some of the highest in the world, and early marriage being one of the most pervasive. 

Director of the Mogadishu schools network, Cabdulqaadir Maxamed Xasan, posted his reaction to the new show on Bilan, saying he was pleased that the show is offering “more knowledge and experience” on education issues to the public. 

“Given the scarcity of female teachers in the education sector, young girls often struggle during their periods to adapt to changing circumstances. This discussion underscored the importance of community support during this critical time, particularly at the onset of adolescence.”

The show will officially launch on International Women’s Day, on 8 March this year. 

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On Wednesday, the airline released a statement announcing the former cabin attendant would start her role as president of the 71-year old company in April. It described Tottori as a member of staff who has acquired a “high level of insight and field experience” in safety operations and service.

Tottori, 59, started her career as a cabin attendant at the airline in 1985, before rising through the ranks of senior management, becoming senior vice president for cabin attendants in April 2020. 

Last year, she became the senior vice president for customer experience and chief customer officer. She is currently a senior managing executive officer. 

Tottori told a news conference on Wednesday she plans to bring her authentic self to her new role. 

“I plan to just be myself,” she said. “I have worked to adapt to changing values so customers keep choosing JAL. Safety and service have been the linchpin of my career.”

“I feel extremely responsible for passing on the importance of safety to the next generation.”

“I want us to think about our customers first,” Tottori continued, adding that she hopes to “create a group where employees are genuinely excited to work and can achieve their potential.”

As the first woman to lead JAL, the historic appointment has been heralded as a win for gender equality in a country with the worst gender gap among the Group of Seven nations. 

“There are female employees out there who are struggling with their career steps or going through big life events,” Tottori said. “I hope my appointment as a president can encourage them, or give them the courage to take the next step.”

Addressing the merger between Japan Air System and JAL which took place over two decades ago, Tottori said: “There isn’t a distinction anymore” between staff members who originally worked for JAS and for JAL, acknowledging “…things were hard at the time.” 

JAL has come under intense scrutiny since the crash on January 2nd between a JAL plane and a Japan Coast Guard aircraft at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. 

All 379 passengers aboard the JAL flight escaped alive, with many crediting the calm response by the cabin attendants and passengers. Five of the six coast guard crew members died in the crash. 

JAL’s current president, Yuji Akasaka said Tottori’s appointment had nothing to do with the accident at Haneda.

“I am confident she will be able to prioritize our customers while bringing out the best in our employees, steadily boosting the value of JAL Group as a leader for a new age,” he said.

Akasaka will become chairperson of JAL when Tottori takes her new post in April. 

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It came a day after Annastacia Palaszczuk resigned from her role as the country’s longest-serving female premier. 

This morning, however, Fentiman backed out of her candidacy, conceding to deputy premier Steven Miles. 

Miles is understood to have secured the backing of the Labor right faction, which included the retiring premier herself and the treasurer, Cameron Dick. 

On Facebook, Fentiman said she was pulling out of the race for the leadership because it was “clear that a majority” of MPs would back Miles.

“I want to congratulate Steven and offer my support in the work ahead,” she said. “Steven is a longstanding friend, and he will have my full support as Premier of Queensland.

“Now is the time for unity, and Labor’s focus must turn to delivering for Queenslanders and retaining government at next year’s election.”

On Monday, when she announced her candidacy at a press conference, she said she had was keen on “renewal and change” and that she had “significant support”.

“In order to win the next election, we need a fresh approach,” she told reporters. 

“Steven, as deputy with Annastacia, has a really strong legacy. But I believe we need renewal and we need to change the way we do some things.”

“Look, it’s no surprise that the premier would nominate her deputy premier – they’ve worked closely together – of course she would. But … the question for MPs this week is who can take us forward and who can win the next election.”

“Of course we will respect whatever happens with the different views of MPs. But as I’ve said, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have significant support.”

On X, formerly Twitter, Fentimen described Palaszczuk as “an inspiration to women and girls across the nation.”

“I’m so proud of the things we accomplished together. But there is so much more to do and now is the time for renewal.” 

“I have a strong track record of bringing people together, listening and delivering. I believe I am the best person to deliver the change we need.” 

Fentiman has held several roles in the state government since 2015, including Minister for Communities, Women and children, Employment and Small businesses and Minister for Women. 

The Member for Waterford made her inaugural speech in March 2015, crediting her grandfather for sparking her initial interest in politics.

“Whenever parliament was sitting he would tune in to the ABC’s broadcast of question time,” she said.

“With me sitting by his side, fixated by the television screen for that one hour, he taught me the importance of civic participation. Though he lacked the voice and opportunity to speak in this forum, he held parliament in that living room.”

She also explained her agenda to improve representation among women and end gendered violence, adding that she was “proud” to call herself a feminist. 

“I am determined to increase women’s leadership roles, not just in the government sector but in industry and across all levels in our community, and still one in three women will experience violence or sexual violence in their lifetime.”

“Too many women and children are hurt and killed each year as a result of domestic and family violence, and we know these deaths are preventable and we can stop the behaviour and attitudes that feed the domestic violence cycle. We are all responsible for ending domestic violence. This begins not only here in parliament but also in our living rooms, our pubs, our clubs, our parks, our streets and our schools.” 

Fentimen was a lawyer before she entered politics, working with community organisations including Beenleigh Neighbourhood Centre, the Logan Women’s Health and Wellbeing Centre and the Centre Against Sexual Violence.  

Queensland’s next state election is scheduled for October 2024.

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Taylor Swift is fifth on the list. 

The list is divided into six categories: Media & Entertainment, Politics & Policy, Finance, Business, Philanthropy and Tech. Women in business occupied the most spots on the list, with 36 — they include Karen Lynch, president and CEO of CVS Health, Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture, and Gina Rinehart, who came in at No. 48 on the list. 

Finance held 19 spots, including Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, CEO of Banco De Brasil Tarciana Paula Gomes Medeiros and CEO & Managing Director, Macquarie Group Shemara Wikramanayake. 

Politics and Policy held 18 spots. Notable individuals include Tokyo’s first female governor, Yuriko Koike, Slovakia’s youngest and first female president, Zuzana Caputova, and the world’s longest-serving female head of government, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed. 

Media and Entertainment held 12 spots, including Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, founder of Ebonylife TV Mo Abudu and Netflix’s chief content officer Bela Bajaria. All but one woman in this category hail from the US. (Let’s not forget Forbes is an American publication). 

Tech held 9 spots, including Ruth Porat, the chief financial officer of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, Meta’s CFO Susan Li, CEO of semiconductor firm Advanced Micro Devices Lisa Su and SpaceX’s president and COO Gwynne Shotwell. 

The Philanthropy category included five women: Melinda French Gates, MacKenzie Scott, Laurene Powell Jobs, Solina Chau and Julia Gillard, who came in at No. 92. 

Most women on the list are from the US. Others hail from UK, Brazil, Germany, France, Taiwan. Hong Kong and China. 

Controversially, Barbie also made it onto the list, slipping in at No. 100. It’s the first-ever fictional character to be selected on the list, a decision the publication admits is “unconventional”.

According to Forbes writer Maggie McGrath, the doll has “expanded beyond a symbol of female empowerment to become an avatar for the necessity of fighting to recapture power that’s been taken away.”

“She’s inspired girls and their mothers for generations, but this was the year women needed her most,” McGrath wrote.

“What Barbie can do is give voice to the voiceless and power to the powerless through her ability to inspire. Barbie is much more than just a plastic toy.” 

Yet the woman responsible for making it huge again this year, Greta Gerwig, was not included on the list. 

Sketchy? You bet. 

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You can read the full List of Forbes 100 Most Power Women of 2023 here.

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The woman behind the project, Mundanara Bayles, hopes that the podcasts give First Nations Peoples and people of colour a chance to reclaim their narratives, strengthen cultural identity and contribute to the inclusive Australia they want to see, and hear.

“This is the next generation,” she said at the launch in Sydney on Wednesday morning, where she was surrounded by several First Nations podcasters and media personalities. “I want you to remember that you’re looking at the next generation of media, business entrepreneurs – they’re gonna do something big.”

“And from today onwards, having our own media platform, these brothers can probably start a podcast tomorrow. They don’t need to wait till they get older or till they get recognised to get that tap on the shoulder.”

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“What’s important about this network is that we inspire the younger generation to do what they wanna do and to be able to reach their full potential in this country.” 

“It is my intention that Black Cast will empower first nations people and people of colour to reclaim their narratives, strengthen cultural identity and contribute to a more inclusive Australia. We are proud to showcase exciting emergent talent from our communities.”

“Whilst also improving cultural and socio-economic outcomes, Black Cast podcast will be conceived of developed by and proudly platform, First Nations, Black and People of Colour.

“I promise that you that we will hold space for the celebration of indigenous knowledge and diverse perspectives just like my grandmother and father did before me again.” 

Mundanara, who has worked as an entrepreneur, educator, and public speaker for several years, roped in the support of Producer and longtime family friend Clint Curtis and Network Advisor Jamila Rizvi to create BlakCast.

Partnering with ARN’s iHeart, Australia’s top podcast publisher, the network will seek to drive revenue and audiences for new and diverse talent across the country. 

BlakCast’s podcasts include Black Magic Woman (which Mundanara launched in 2020 and continues to host) Yarning Up, Curtain the Podcast, Unapologetically Blak, Meet the Moband Coming Out Black. 

The shows range from exploring First Nations queer identity, LGBTQ+ issues that affect Indigenous people, generational trauma, to interviews with Black business leaders, sporting icons and regional community leaders. 

Mundanara’s father, Tiga Bayles was a pioneer in Indigenous media who used his platform as inaugural chair of the NSWALC to champion the rights of Aboriginal people across NSW in the 1980s.

In 2013, Mundanara co-founded consultancy and cultural training organisation BlackCard with Dr Lilla Watson, a respected Aboriginal elder, artist, educator and course developer.

When Mundanara was named this year’s Supply Nation’s Indigenous Businesswoman of the Year, she said that she hoped she can “inspire more young Aboriginal girls to start dreaming big.”

“And to start thinking at a young age of running a business and being an entrepreneur and to know and believe that we are in control of our destiny,” Bayles told National Indigenous Times.

“We are in the driver’s seat, so we need our young people in particular to create positive mindsets and to know that we are in charge of our futures.

“If we want to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and start creating intergenerational wealth, then being in business will give us a head start.”

Corey Layton, Head of Digital Audio at iHeart, said that he was “proud” of Mundanara’s continuing legacy in producing podcasts. 

“She [is building] on her family legacy in broadcast, guiding, amplifying, and monetising a large array of Australia’s best Indigenous podcasts,” Layton said. “This presents an exciting evolution in the iHeart network which we’re committed to grow”.

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Last month, the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Johannesburg made the landmark judgement, changing the previous laws that allowed only mothers to four months of leave, while fathers or partners were given a maximum of 10 days leave. 

Gender equality organisations in the country of 60 million have welcomed the decision that moves to normalise genderless parental leave in a continent where some nations still don’t offer fathers paid parental leave.  

Nkululeko Mbuli, a communications strategist for Embrace, a Cape Town based social group for mothers, is positive about the latest policy change, but thinks “it still shortchanges mothers”.

“Mothers want to be excited but they are concerned about the practical implications,” she said, adding that the judgement doesn’t seek at “building a caring system”. 

She also believes that unemployed individuals and those in volatile employment circumstances are continuing to be left out.

The gender equality organisation Equimundo is also celebrating the latest news. Wessel van den Berg, an officer working within the group’s MenCare campaign (whose mission is to “inspire men around the world – to become more involved fathers, more invested partners”) described the policy in South Africa as “a significant milestone” that “raises the bar on leave for parents in a wonderful way.”

“I’m thrilled our law is becoming more in line with our constitution,” he told The Guardian. 

“The journey is far from over, but this judgment represents a promising step toward a more equitable and balanced caregiving landscape in South Africa.”

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The International Labour Organisation (ILO) charter recommends parental leave (paid or unpaid leave offered by an employer) for both parents. 

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What happened at Open AI last week?

Last Friday, Sam Altman, the popular founder and CEO of OpenAI — the creators of ChatGPT, was sacked by the board of the company.  According to Reuters, OpenAI’s chief operating officer, Brad Lightcap, explained Altman’s sacking in an internal company memo on Saturday was due to a “breakdown of communications”, not “malfeasance.”

A blog post was posted on the company website, stating that Altman was removed following “a deliberative review process by the board.”

Other reports cited the 38-year old tech wonder boy of generative AI had been fired for not being “consistently candid in his communications” with the board, which includes prominent tech individuals such as OpenAI’s chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, technology entrepreneur Tasha McCauley and Director of Strategy at Georgetown Center for Security and Emerging Technology, Helen Toner.

No further explanations have yet been released publicly. 

Since his sacking, Altman posted on X, “i love the openai team so much” – which has garnered hundreds of likes, including from Mira Murati and Brad Lightcap. 

The news sent shock waves through Silicon Valley and beyond — Altman has an almost unanimous positive public persona, and his company’s board has a charter that pledges to “act in the best interests of humanity throughout its development” and “ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI)—by which we mean highly autonomous systems that outperform humans at most economically valuable work—benefits all of humanity.”

Altman has become the global face of generative AI, the technology everyone has been talking about since his company launched ChatGPT one year ago. 

Over the weekend, one research scientist at OpenAI, Andrej Karpathy, wrote on X: “The board had a chance to explain their drastic actions and they did not take it.” 

On the same day, tech news website, The Information reported that OpenAI was “optimistic” they would reinstate Altman into his former position, which he has held since 2019. 

Immediately after Friday’s announcement of Altman’s sacking, the company’s chief technology officer, Mira Murati was appointed as interim CEO. 

Let’s take a look at Murati, who, according to the New York Times, has been described by her company as having a “unique skill set” that would provide “a seamless transition while it conducts a formal search for a permanent C.E.O.”

Who is Mira Murati?

In March this year, Women’s Agenda took a close look at the then 34-year old Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI. (She is still 34, but no longer the CTO).  

Born in Albania, raised in Canada, the Radiohead fan studied at Dartmouth College, where she built a hybrid racecar as a mechanical engineering student. 

Earlier this year, Murati was announced as a board member of Unlearn.AI – a San Francisco-based health startup that focuses on novel applications of generative AI. Previously, she’d worked for huge companies including Tesla where she led the Model X, and at Leap Motion — a Silicon Valley VR company that builds hand tracking software. 

In her position as CTO at OpenAI, she oversaw entire teams devoted to engineering tools such as to ChatGPT to ensure they “don’t mislead people, show bias, or snuff out humanity altogether.” 

In July, Murati, who speaks Italian, Albanian, and English, was interviewed by WIRED, where she revealed her background had been in engineering, aerospace, automotive, VR, and AR. 

Responding to a question about the release of GPT-4, Murati said, “It’s going to change entire industries; people have compared it to electricity or the printing press.”

“We have to make sure that people really experience for themselves what this technology is capable of versus reading about it in some press release, especially as the technological progress continues to be so rapid. It’s futile to resist it. I think it’s important to embrace it and figure out how it’s going to go well.”

Last year, she appeared on an episode of “The Daily Show”, sprucing a similar line of ideology to host Trevor Noah. “It’s very important to bring the public along, bring these technologies in the public consciousness, but in a way that’s responsible and safe,” she said. 

Two months ago, Murati was named one of this year’s TIME100 Next, a list that celebrates emerging leaders whose accomplishments have dramatically inspired societal change. In her profile piece, Microsoft’s chief executive, Satya Nadella described Murati as a woman who has “demonstrated ability to assemble teams with technical expertise, commercial acumen and a deep appreciation for the importance of mission.”

“As a result, Mira has helped build some of the most exciting A.I. technologies we’ve ever seen,” Nadella wrote. 

What’s happened in the past 24 hours?

Microsoft is one of OpenAI’s investors who have since Friday tried to get Altman reinstatement as CEO. 

According to some reports, top investor and employees have been pressuring board members to get Altman back to his former position. There has even been reports that Microsoft executives and some venture backers (they include Thrive Capital, Tiger Global, Khosla Ventures and Sequoia Capital) —have been strategising on how to get Altman back, including “clearing out the board and reinstating Altman”, as reported in Financial Times. 

One individual told the publication, “People in the negotiation say it should wrap today. The sticking point is that he wants the board to step down. This is a board that fired him [only on Friday].”

“The leverage that Sam [has] is support from employees and investors . . . but the board is not beholden to them.” 

Jason Kwon, OpenAI’s chief strategy officer, sent a memo to his staff, saying “We are still working towards a resolution and we remain optimistic.”

“By resolution, we mean bringing back Sam, Greg, Jakub, Szymon, Aleksander and other colleagues (sorry if I missed you!) and remaining the place where people who want to work on AGI [artificial general intelligence] research, safety, products and policy can do their best work,” Kwon wrote. 

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CEO of Media Diversity Australia, Mariam Veiszadeh was named the overall winner of the awards, now in its fifth year. 

The University of Melbourne’s centre for Asian capability, Asialink is a sponsor of the awards that recognise the Most Influential Asian-Australian across a wide range of fields, including  arts and culture, community and advocacy, corporate, education, entrepreneurship, legal and professions, media, public sector, science and medicine, and sport. 

CEO of Asialink Martine Letts, said the awards “shine a light on the incredible leadership talent and potential of Asian-Australians.” 

Mariam Veiszadeh is widely known for her advocacy in diversifying Australia’s media landscape, as well as her work setting up the Islamophobia Register Australia — a collective database of Islamophobic incidents experienced by the public. 

Veiszadeh, who began her career as a lawyer at Westpac, spoke about the importance of workplace diversity and inclusion in 2017 at a TED Talk in Sydney. 

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This week, she told the ABC (a media partner for the 2023 Asian-Australian Leadership Awards) that during the TED talk, she was “the only person on that stage that they hired a security guard for.”

“That was the extent of the risks that I was facing,” she said. 

“It really impacted me. I was physically sick, I had a lot of mental health challenges. It takes a significant toll on you as a person.”

“But I think it also cemented my determination to continue fighting against hatred. So I tried to raise awareness about it. I tried to tackle it head on.”

In 2021, she became the CEO of Media Diversity Australia, a not-for-profit organisation and the nation’s peak advocacy body for diversity and representation in media. 

In October 2022, the organisation partnered with eight inaugural newsrooms to offer them diversity, equity and inclusion expertise to help champion cultural diversity in their workplaces. 

At the time, Veiszadeh said she was “pleased to witness and help drive the palpable push from many newsrooms to have their journalists and commentators reflect the broader community and, by default, the wider national conversation.” 

This week, she told the ABC the organisation is still working tirelessly to create a media landscape that “looks and sounds more like Australia.” 

“That means holding up a mirror to an industry that doesn’t always want a mirror held up to it,” she said.

“My strategy is bringing everyone on the journey, because you don’t drive change through using a sledgehammer. We don’t want to just talk about the media, we want to talk to the media. We want them to be part of the solution.”

Asialink’s CEO Martine Letts said that even when one in five people in Australia have an Asian cultural heritage, only 3 per cent of senior management positions are held by them. 

“It’s not only in the boardroom where this bias exists, it extends across all industries,” Letts said. “There is still a long way to go, and there is a real lack in recognition of and focus on leveraging Asian-Australian grown talent.”

“If overseas markets are more attractive to talent from multicultural backgrounds we risk losing our best and brightest.”

Johnson Partners, a Sydney-based executive search firm affiliated with the Awards, released recent findings which revealed that 93 per cent of board members on ASX-listed companies have either an Anglo-Celtic or European background, while per cent of top CEOs are of white Anglo-Celtic or European heritage.

Jason Johnson, founder and CEO of Johnson Partners, believes that a significant shift needs to happen in corporate Australia’s approach to cultural diversity.

“We need to see a  It is not only the right thing to do but also critical to unlocking the full potential of our economy,” Johnson said.  

“Companies that embrace diversity and foster an inclusive culture will be better placed to navigate an increasingly globalised business environment and increasingly diverse customer sets and stakeholders.” 

Johnson, a former Global Chairman of the Association of Executive Search Consultants, believes that the ‘bamboo ceiling’ is preventing Asian-Australians from taking their share of top leadership positions.

“Our major companies, government departments and universities….[do not] reflect their staff, student populations or customer bases,” he said. 

“The pandemic caused many diversity statistics to go backwards, so we have some serious ground to make up to address the under-representation of diverse leaders.”

Other winners

Lifetime Achievement Award: Ming Long 

As the first woman with Asian heritage to lead a top 200 ASX listed entity, Long is a well-known corporate leader who was appointed Chair of the Diversity Council of Australia’s board in 2021. 

She has held a range of senior executive positions throughout her career, including CEO and CFO roles in both listed and unlisted companies, Chair of AMP Capital Funds Management Limited, and a non-executive director of QBE Insurance (Auspac), CEDO, Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand, and is an advisor on the University of Sydney Culture Council.

Under 25 Rising Star: Rhea Werner

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At just 17, year-old Rhea Werner has been using her platform on social media to talk about body image and mental health. 

In 2021, she co-founded the Body Confident Collective Youth Project, the first, national youth-led initiative supported by researchers from Melbourne University.

Arts and culture: Mindy Meng Wang

Mindy Meng Wang is a Chinese Australian composer and performing artist who specialises in the guzheng — an ancient Chinese zither. She is known for her cross genre collaborations with international artists including Gorillaz, Regurgitator and Paul Grabowsky. 

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This week, she spoke about her latest album collaboration, “Origin of You” which she recorded with fellow Chinese Australian Sui Zhen.  

The album, according to reviewer David James Young, is a musical exploration of their “personal experiences with death, grief, motherhood and diaspora.” 

“Every single time we play this music, it’s a way to help us process these things,” Wang told Young. 

“I want this music to remind people that we all have shared feelings as human beings. My goal in music is to make people realise that we’re inherently the same — no matter your cultural background, how you grieve, how you feel about love, how you feel about your family. If we knew how similar we all were, I feel like the world would be a better place. I want this music to be a sonic hug for people.”

Education, Science and medicine winner: Dr Celina Ping Yu

Having spent her career working towards cultural inclusion, diversity and relationship-building between Australian and Asian academic and business communities, Dr Celina Ping Yu was the clear winner in this category. 

She is the founder of the Global Business College of Australia and since 2014, has been the college’s managing director.

In 2017, she started Edvantage Institute Australia, an international higher education campus of the Edvantage Group, a Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency registered private higher education provider. 

Community & Advocacy/Not for Profit: Marjorie Tenchavez

Marjorie Tenchavez is the founder and director of Welcome Merchant, a social enterprise  supporting small businesses owned by refugees and asylum seekers.

Tenchavez, who is a former finalist for Emerging Leader in Non-Profit at the Women’s Agenda Leadership awards, was also a recipient of the NSW Humanitarian Awards in Business this year. 

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Speaking to Women’s Agenda last year, Tenchavez said many migrants and refugees in Australia struggle to get bank loans “…because of their visa status and/or lack of financial history in Australia.”

“I’ve been in this sector for a long time and there were times when I thought about changing industries but hearing their stories and successes keeps me inspired,” she said.

“It’s really important for me to see them succeed without our help.” 

Legal and Professional Services: Mannie Kaur Verma

As a principal lawyer at Regal Lawyers, Mannie Kaur Verma empowers her clientele, who are mostly migrants, to fight for their rights. 

“This may include demanding a respectful relationship, employee entitlements or justice in a dispute,” she describes on her website. “I place intersectionality at the core of my practice.”

The former Labor candidate for Rowville in Victoria is also the co-Founder of the non-profit organisation, Veera – Brave Girl, an organisation that seeks to educate and empower migrant women to break the cycle of abuse. It also provides a network of resources for vulnerable women to leave violent relationships.

“A lot of women come here on partner visas, so they are dependent on their partners,” she told Women’s Weekly in 2021, when she was nominated for the Women of the Future Awards. “They have no networks. No support systems. No access to resources.” 

Read the full list of winners here. 

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The study looked at companies listed on 12 global stock exchanges to reveal that on average, female CEOs lasted 5.2 years as in their roles while male CEOs had roughly 8.1 years. 

The analysis looked at companies from several stock exchanges, including companies in S&P 500, Nikkei 225, HANG SENG and DAX40. Only companies in the NSE Nifty 50 had women CEOs stay in their roles longer than men.

The study, conducted by executive search and leadership advisory firm Russell Reynolds, used data collected since 2018 to make the latest conclusions. 

Despite the addition of 21 new female CEO appointments in the first three quarters of this year, the number still only makes up 13 per cent of all newly appointed CEOs.

In the FTSE 100, there are currently nine women who are leading companies, though this year, there were no new female CEOs appointed at all. 

The UK head of Russell Reynolds, Laura Sanderson attributes the tenure gap findings to some male CEOs having led companies for decades. 

“While the sample size is too small to be significant, we also need to consider whether the data may support the glass cliff theory,” Sanderson told The Observer. 

The study also found that CEOs who were internally appointed have a longer tenure — on average, they had a 1.8-year longer tenure than those who are externally hired. 

Professor Michelle Ryan, the director of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at the Australian National University in Canberra, described the latest research as “robust” and one which “added to the body of work in this area”.

“If women are more likely to take on leadership roles in times of crisis, then it follows that their time is office is likely to be stressful, more heavily scrutinised and shorter in tenure,” she told The Observer.

“This reduced tenure could be for a number of reasons – because there is often higher turnover in times of crisis, because they are judged as not performing well, even though poor performance was in train before their appointment, or because when things start to turn around, men come back into leadership roles.”

The latest research builds on the research Prof Ryan did with her colleagues at the University of Exeter in 2005, which found that women were more likely to be appointed as board members after a company’s share price had done badly.

The phenomenon, called the glass ceiling or the glass cliff, sees women appointed as leaders when an organisation is going through a crisis — meaning their appointments are precarious and more likely to see them not succeed. 

A handful of new initiatives are attempting to turn the tide of these gender disparities, including the government-supported FTSE Women Leaders, which is working to grow the number of women on boards of companies in the FTSE 350 and 50 of the largest private companies in the UK.

Denise Wilson, the chief executive of FTSE Women Leaders described the latest gender tenure gap study as “an important piece of research”.

“From a UK perspective, we have made significant progress for women in almost every metric and measure,” she said. “But the CEO has been the stumbling block where we are struggling to make progress.”

“I think men can enjoy a greater followership – support within the organisation. They can suffer big setbacks and rise again. Women who have been CEOs tend to go off to an alternative career.”

“People tend to line up very quickly under the boss, but when that person is no longer as secure as people thought, that can gather momentum.”

Fortunately, it’s not all doom and gloom. 

On the boards of FTSE 350 companies, the number of females has increased from 9.5 per cent in 2011 to 41 per cent. 

Laura Sanderson from Russell Reynolds believes that “getting more women on boards generally has been working in terms of also getting more women into the CEO succession.”

“One of the things I say to clients is that if you can have a non-exec on your board who could be a potential successor, that’s just good succession planning,” she said.

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The campaign, “Be That Teacher”, features eight public school teachers describing a personal ‘special teaching moment’ that has inspired them to continue to teach. 

The campaign includes 30 second and 60 second videos of each teacher, and posters of them with inspiring quotes.  

The featured teachers conclude their video stories with sentimental reflections, such as the following:

“If life is about creating meaningful moments, you get a meaningful moment every single day in this profession.”

“There is not another profession that touches the human soul as this does.”

“It was my impact that changed how much passion [my student] had for the subject.” 

“You don’t plan to be someone’s idol, but sometimes you are.” 

The PM said the campaign is aimed at “highlighting the wonderful impact that teachers can have,” as well as “to celebrate and value the profession of teaching for the extraordinary profession that it does.” 

“We’ll have stories … across billboards, train stations, bus stops and social media because we want more young Australians to see this and decide to be that teacher, that teacher who changes lives, who provides an inspiration going forward,” he explained. 

“I can’t think of a more valuable campaign not just for young Australians, but for the future of Australia that we wish to create.”

On Tuesday morning, Albanese appeared at Kirrawee High School in Sydney’s south with Education Minister Jason Clare and NSW Education Minister Prue Carr to address the press about the campaign. 

Clare referred to recent surveys which showed that most teachers don’t think that what they do is valued by the community. 

“We need to change that,” Clare said. “This campaign is all about changing the way we as a country think about our teachers, and the way our teachers think our country thinks of them.”

“I want more young Australians to want to be a teacher. To be that teacher, who inspires and changes young lives. Teaching is the most important job in the world.”

The campaign, which will run until April next year, was co-funded by all states and territories and includes a dedicated website with the campaign videos and posters, as well as a simple guide on how to become a public school teacher. 

A portal has also been created for people to submit their own stories about teachers who inspired them. Submitted stories will be reviewed and screened by the Department of Education for potential publication on the website. 

Clearly, a lot of work has been done to recruit new teachers. But will it work?

The Australian Education Union (AEU) President Correna Haythorpe acknowledges teaching as “the greatest profession of all” and that “positive recruitment campaigns are an important part of making teaching more attractive to the high achieving young people we urgently need to become teachers,” yet she admits that other forms of investment is required from the government. 

“Nobody should think this is the answer to a recruitment and retention crisis that has been decades in the making,” Haythorpe said. 

“Public school principals and teachers are doing an amazing job, but they are being asked to do too much with too little.”

“The Prime Minister needs to do much more than launch advertisements. He needs to honour the government’s commitment to end the underfunding of public schools.”

Haythorpe believes that investing in teachers and public schools is the only way to ensure that more teachers are recruited and retained.

She is calling for full funding from the government to give teachers more time and support to meet the varying needs of their students, as well as space to ensure teachers avoid early onset burnout. 

“The number one issue driving teachers from the profession is unsustainable workloads,” she said. “Only 13 per cent of public school teachers say their workload is manageable and one in five leave within three years of entering the profession.”

Haythorpe also called on the Albanese Government to sign funding agreements with state and territory governments within the next 12 months to “put an end to the underfunding of public schools by 2028.”

Speaking to the media at yesterday’s launch, the PM said the government is committed to achieving a pathway to full and fair funding. 

“Next year, you’ll see a new school funding agreement, and that is something we aim to reach with each state and territory government,” he said.

According to Haythorpe, less than 2 per cent of public schools across the country are resourced at 100 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard — “which is the minimum level governments agreed a decade ago was necessary to meet the needs of all students.”

“By contrast, 98 per cent of private schools are funded at or above the SRS,” Haythorpe said. 

The president of AEU’s Victoria branch believes a retention payment from the state government will be more effective in keeping teachers in the classroom. 

“The shortage of teachers, principals and education support staff is having an impact on Victorian public schools right now, today,” President Meredith Peace said.

“The situation is extremely serious, with students in too many classrooms without a permanent qualified teacher. It is a completely unacceptable situation.” 

Other public figures have weighed in with suggestions, including Co-Founder of North Sydney Independent, Denise Shrivell, who tweeted earlier this week:

“Here’s an idea to attract more people to teaching – improve their wages and working conditions. Will the $10m advertising campaign address this?”

At yesterday’s launch, both Albanese and Education Minister Prue Car attempted to address the issue of teachers’ salaries.

“The truth is that this campaign is never going to aim at teachers being paid as much as engineers or doctors,” the PM said. “What it’s aimed at doing is if you look at a fulfilling life that you have where you’re making a difference, that’s part of the equation as well.”

Car responded by saying that “…teachers are expert professionals, they deserve to be paid like expert professionals.” 

“They are the most important profession in society, hands down. And the way that we talk about teachers is so important, and the way that we talk about it as the model profession, as a noble profession, is so important. So, I suppose that’s our focus.”

“Here in NSW, we have given teachers a massive pay rise. A pay rise they’ve deserved and they were denied by the previous Liberal government for twelve years.” 

Elsewhere, Greens education spokesperson Senator Penny Allman-Payne asked the question — “what awaits these new teachers when they enter the classroom?” 

“A lack of resources and support staff, mountains of paperwork, and a workload that is impossible for many teachers to sustain,” she said in a statement. 

Allman-Payne believes the mass exodus of teachers is caused by  “appalling conditions” and teachers “not being able to do the jobs they love”.

“If the government wants to attract and keep teachers in the classroom it needs to make sure they have the resources and support they need to actually teach,” she said. 

“Every public school in the country must be funded to 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard at the start of the next NSRA, in January 2025.”

Beyond all this, gaining the tertiary credentials to become a public school teacher requires an individual to commit to at least twelve months of study, and undergo up to three months of unpaid work experience.

The PM acknowledges the “lasting legacy on future generations” teachers have — but deliberately looks away from the realities of stepping into the profession, as well as its taxing emotional toll.

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A new survey has revealed that the gender gap in who does the ‘home cooking’ has actually expanded over the past year, with women cooking more meals than men in almost every country.

In 2022, women cooked 8.7 meals per week, on average, more than double the number of meals men cooked, which was four per week. 

The annual The World Cooking Index, analysed by Gallup and Cookpad, examines how often people prepare and eat home-cooked meals around the world, tracking the way various factors such as gender, age and household size influence people’s cooking habits in 142 countries.

The country with the widest cooking gender gap was Ethiopia, followed by Tajikistan, Egypt, Nepal and Yemen. These are countries where women are often struggling with other issues including human rights, parliamentary representation, education and access to healthcare. 

Conversely, the countries where men and women cooked roughly the same number of meals each week are also places with higher awareness of equality between the sexes. 

They include Spain, UK, Switzerland and France. In the US, women cooked about two more meals per week than men. 

Among the 142 surveyed countries, only one emerged where men cooked more, on average, than women — Italy.

Takako Kotake, managing director at Cookpad, said the study observed a growing clarity in the correlation between cooking frequency and various societal factors. 

“Among these factors, the gender perspective emerges as a particularly significant one, impacting crucial aspects of human relationships and overall health,” Kotake explained.

“We encourage a broad audience to explore this dataset, with the hope that it will foster a deeper dialogue about the significance and value of cooking in our lives.”

Andrew Dugan, research director at Gallup, noted that every year since the study started in 2018, the gap narrowed —  until last year. 

In 2022, women continued to cook at about the same frequency, while men started to cook less.

“It’s the first year that the gap actually widened,” Dugan said. 

“What it might suggest is [that] the traditional gender roles are starting to reassert themselves.”

Marital status was also a factor that played a pivotal role in deciding a woman’s cooking habits. On average, married women prepared 6.9 more meals weekly than married men. 

However, people who said they were separated cooked the most, with an average of 8.0 meals per week, followed widowed people, those in domestic partnerships, then divorced people. 

Single people or those who have never been married cooked the least, with an average of 4.9 meals per week.

“The widening gender gap we saw this year underscores the importance of understanding cultural, societal and economic influences on everyday habits,” Joe Daly, managing partner at Gallup said. 

“As we continue to delve into these findings, we aim to supply valuable insights that can inform policymakers, researchers and households about the changing dynamics of home-cooked meals.”

Where you lived also determined how much cooking you did. People living in rural areas or on farms cooked the most, at 6.7 meals per week, while those living in metropolitan areas cooked the least, with an average of 6.1 meals per week.

Finally, income determined how much cooking happened in a household — in 2022, the richest 20 per cent cooked the least at home, with an average of 5.8 meals per week, while the poorest 20 per cent cooked most frequently, with an average of 7.0 full meals each week. 

Read the The World Cooking Index report here. 

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