‘Not a luxury’: call for inclusivity in gender equality
As the rights of women and girls are being deliberately rolled back, Australia’s first female prime minister has called on gender equality activists to push back with equal force.
Former Labor Party Prime Minister Julia Gillard is one of the key speakers at the meeting. Women DeliverA major gathering of activists, policymakers and leaders from past to present.
Ms Gillard was greeted with cheers from around 6000 delegates gathered for the conference in Melbourne.
“The rollback of women’s rights is not being done in secret, it is being heralded by major global political leaders,” she said at the opening ceremony on Monday night.
“This is not hidden or done in small increments; it is attempted in open, strategic and limiting leaps.
“We must equally step back and find the courage to take restrictive steps (because) gender equality is not a luxury and (it) is not just a women’s issue.”
Ms Gillard is head of the Global Women’s Leadership Institute at King’s College London and later founded its sister institute at the Australian National University in Canberra.
He said research conducted by the institutes shows that communities that offer greater gender equality to everyone, including men, offer better economic prospects and more inclusive living options.
“We have not always been as vocal as we should have been about making this case,” Ms Gillard said.
“So-called populist movements have exploited this and tried to create the impression that gender equality is a zero-sum game, that if women and girls get more, men and boys should get less.
“We must ensure that we continue to make an inclusive case for gender equality.”
Governor-General Sam Mostyn, only the second woman to be appointed to the post, said the opposition’s gender language was alive and well.
“I hope I speak for all women who step into positions of leadership and authority… when I say that the least interesting thing about us is actually our gender,” she said.
“In fact, the most important thing for a generation of young men and women around the world is to know that there should be no barriers, gender or any other, to the best people taking leadership in our society.”
The five-day Women Deliver program features prominent speakers from the political sphere, including former prime ministers such as New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern and Canada’s Justin Trudeau.
Attendees will also have the chance to hear from other global leaders and gender equality advocates, such as eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant and Olympic gold medalist Emma McKeon.
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