Practice session with Thor

Covid has had a significant impact on the economy and also on economic equality. This International Women's Day we aim to take action to #BreakTheBias and build back a fairer and more equitable economy in Australia.

The World Economic Form Gender Gap Report 2021 states that the Covid pandemic has raised new barriers to building inclusive and prosperous economies and societies. Pre-existing gender gaps have amplified the crisis asymmetrically between men and women, even as women have been at the frontlines of managing the crisis as essential workers. The hardest hit sectors by lockdowns and rapid digitisation are those where women are more frequently employed. Combined with the additional pressures of providing care in the home, the crisis has halted progress toward gender parity in several economies and industries.

Gender-sensitive recovery strategies will be critical in making up ground lost during 2020 to prevent long-term scarring in the labour market. Leaders have an unprecedented opportunity to build more resilient and gender-equal economies by investing in inclusive workplaces, creating more equitable care systems, advancing women’s rise to leadership positions, applying a gender lens to reskilling and redeployment and embedding gender parity into the future of work.

Rare Birds has invited a group of expert panellists to share their insights and ideas for building an Australian economy that works to benefit everyone equally.

Speakers include:
- The Hon. Bronwyn Taylor, MLC, Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women
- Professor Marian Baird, Professor of Gender and Employment Relations and Head of the Discipline of Work and Organisational Studies at the University of Sydney
- Lisa Annese, CEO of Diversity Council Australia