• Free Daily Newsletter
  • Get Premium
  • Small Logo
  • About
  • Partner Pages
  • Support & FAQs
  • Log in

The Mandarin

The Mandarin
The Mandarin
  • Small Logo
  • Premium
  • Careers
    • Search SES Jobs
    • Career Advice
  • News
  • Editors' Picks
  • Portfolios
  • Events
  • Resource library
  • Small Logo
  • Premium
  • Careers
    • Search SES Jobs
    • Career Advice
  • News
  • Editors' Picks
  • Portfolios
  • Events
  • Resource library

Home Features Family, bias and the APS: time for real cultural reform

Family, bias and the APS: time for real cultural reform

By Deborah May

Friday April 15, 2016

Twenty-two years ago I left a high-paid, high-prestige and (at that time) financially secure job because inconveniently I became a single parent. I was simultaneously assumed to be less capable, reliable and committed than I had been when childless and, given the paucity of women in senior roles, I figured that something was going on that was not just about me.

Armed with curiosity, optimism and a Fulbright Scholarship, I went to Boston to attend the only business school designed for women so I could better understand why organisations worked better for men than they did for me.

I came back in 1998 with enthusiasm, energy and some ideas about how to change minds, systems and cultures to make room for a few more women — especially at the top.

A decade behind the US

It was a harder gig than I’d expected. Australia was at least a decade behind the United States; gender equity had slipped behind the former Labor government’s shadow and diversity was considered a collection of degrees from well qualified, white folk.

Just 8% of ASX 200 executives were women, two CEOs were women, there was one woman public sector secretary in Canberra and no one really appeared to care too much.

“… the APS cultural norms continue to favour those ‘like us’ …”

Well … 18 years on, the numbers of executive women in the ASX have barely budged, but we do have six women secretaries. Enthusiasm is higher but APS workplace culture has changed little.

From the many cultural audits we’ve undertaken across the APS (think of them as an organisational scan — which, much like an MRI, makes visible the invisible and identifies underlying causes of pain) it’s clear that unconscious bias is the most significant barrier to gender equity and, more broadly, diversity and inclusion.

Like the Canberra arboretum where, despite the best intentions and ambition for a diverse plantation, the soil and conditions make it difficult for any non-native tree to thrive, the APS cultural norms continue to favour those “like us”, who are willing and able to conform to “how we do things around here”.

Those norms do not accommodate the diverse and divergent needs of a contemporary workforce — and we’re all the poorer as a result.

Family and caring responsibilities

The most consistent and pernicious example of this bias is towards women — and, increasingly, men — with family and caring responsibilities, even in agencies where more than 50% of the SES are women.

Some 20% of the APS work part time (70% are women), but less than 3% of SES officers work part time! It’s an extraordinary drop that speaks to the implicit (and often explicit) assessments of merit, potential and suitability. These assessments rely on unreasonable and inaccurate expectations of 24/7 availability, informed by outdated thinking, stereotypes and assumptions about commitment and reliability.

Additionally, APS organisational structures and systems do not support those with family responsibilities. There is limited creativity in job design and even though many people tell me that women working part time are often more productive than their full-time colleagues, there is little done to harness this productive effort, or make it easy to sustain.

All of this is amplified by limited role modelling at the most senior levels and a lack of managerial capability.

Hardly surprising, then that many women (and, indeed, men) feel they need to choose between a family and their careers: “The type of job and the expectations of an SES role means I’m not interested …”

On the up side, however, there are good examples of people making it work. We hear of different levels of creativity in job design, examples of job sharing, some excellent managerial practices and some role models — it’s just that it’s ad hoc and relies on individuals to make it work.

APS-wide reform is required and needs to be led from the very top. The good news is that the secretaries recognise it and seem geared to take it on.

Deborah May will speak at the Public Sector Women in Leadership conference this June

About the author
Deborah May

By Deborah May

Deborah May is managing director and principal consultant of The May Group, a niche consulting practice that specialises in gender equity and inclusion.

People: Deborah May

Companies: Criterion Conferences

Partners: Criterion Conferences

Tags: Australian public service Criterion Conferences flexible working Parental leave workforce management Workforce planning

Login
Please login to comment
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
The Mandarin Premium

Unpacking the issues that matter to you

Subscribe for only $5 a week

Get Premium Today

Already a subscriber? Login

By Deborah May

Friday April 15, 2016
Deborah May
Text size: A A A

Upcoming Events

19
Apr
Public Sector Leaders Colloquium – Senior
20
Apr
Mandarin Talks: The challenge for government departments to be heard
22
Apr
Communicating to Get the Right Outcomes
27
Apr
DocuSign for Government
27
Apr
From Crisis Management To Rapid Recovery Masterclass
View Calendar

Partner Content

eBook: Elevating the art of citizen conversations

eBook: Elevating the art of citizen conversations

Reimagining corporate education in a post-COVID world
Promoted

Reimagining corporate education in a post-COVID world

Helping policymakers demystify data
Promoted

Helping policymakers demystify data

Latest Jobs


  • Director, Clinical Governance, SWSLHD

    NSW Ministry of Health

    • NSW
    Closing date 2nd May, 2021
    2 days ago Full Time - Ongoing
  • Executive Director, Educational Standards

    Department of Education

    • NSW
    Closing date 7th May, 2021
    2 days ago Full Time - Ongoing
  • Deputy Secretary Estate & Infrastructure

    Department of Defence

    • ACT
    Closing date 22nd April, 2021
    2 days ago
  • Assistant Under Treasurer, Economics

    Department of Treasury and Finance

    • NT CBD
    Closing date 26th April, 2021
    7 days ago Full Time - Fixed Term
  • Partnerships Account Manager

    The Mandarin

    • NSW
    • VIC
    Closing date 23rd April, 2021
    15 days ago Full Time - Ongoing
  • Executive Director, People And Culture

    Department of Education

    • NSW
    Closing date 16th April, 2021
    29 days ago Full Time - Ongoing
Search All Jobs

Login

New to The Mandarin? Create an account

Forgot password?

Share via email

Access your 3 free Mandarin Premium articles

As part of your free trial you will receive 'The Juice', The Mandarin's daily free newsletter, the 'Premium wrap' every Saturday and marketing emails. You can opt out at any time.
The Mandarin

Get the Juice. The Mandarin’s FREE daily newsletter.

You’ll also receive special offers from our partners. You can opt out any time.
Content
  • Small Logo
  • News
  • Research Series
  • Features
  • Portfolios
  • Jurisdictions
  • New Zealand
  • People & Capability
  • Thought Leadership
  • Editors' Picks
  • Resource Library
  • Site Map
Products & Services
  • Small Logo
  • The Juice Newsletter
  • Partner & Advertising solutions
  • Mandarin Live
  • Public Sector Events Calendar
  • Partner Content
  • Premium
  • Careers
Legal
  • Small Logo
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Usage
  • Code of Conduct
Connect
  • Small Logo
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Support
  • Our Team
Social
Copyright © The Mandarin
Private Media logo CRIKEY SMARTCOMPANY STARTUPSMART
wpDiscuz