You have until the end of this Friday 23 July to fill in the quick online survey. WOB’s Cultural Diversity Working Group board member, Belinda Howell, is urging all women to take five minutes to fill it in.
“We’ve heard Australian boards characterized as ‘male, pale and stale’. WOB’s Cultural Diversity Working Group (CDWG) is committed to changing the ‘pale’ as well as the ‘male’. And you can help us,” she said.
While the Bureau of Statistics places the percentage of local Australian graduates from non-Anglo/European backgrounds at almost half of all graduates, according to the Human Rights Commission only 5% of these graduates will eventually be appointed to leadership roles in Australia.
Women on Boards Chief Operating Officer and CDWG Chair, Nicole Donegan, urged WOB members to ask colleagues, friends and associates to also fill in the survey.
“The more responses we get, the better informed we will be and this will enable us to help culturally diverse members and hopefully see more women from different backgrounds appointed to leadership roles and board positions in the future.”
CDWG member Marcella Lazarus said the information gleaned from the survey will be vital in helping break down systematic barriers facing women from diverse backgrounds in leadership and board roles.
“WOB has 20,000 + members but we don’t know much about their backgrounds and what support they need to overcome the barriers blocking them from becoming the senior leaders and board directors that they could be.
"The information we gain will be critical to helping all members achieve their career aspirations and breaking down the systemic barriers we face.”
The data will also be helpful in understanding WOB’s membership and give us an opportunity to expand our recruitment strategies, publicise the difference between the availability of qualified culturally diverse women and board appointments; develop events suited to our culturally diverse members; build trend data over time; and share our members’ perspectives on board opportunities.
The survey has been created with guidance from the Diversity Council of Australia.
To complete the survey click HERE
Survey closes midnight Friday 23 July 2021.
Read more about the
WOB Cultural Diversity Working Group