Name: Emma Angstmann
Community/State: Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory
School: Nhulunbuy High School
Age/Grade: 17 Years, Year 11
Bio: Click here
Emma’s Power Trip is kindly being sponsored by AgriFutures Australia!
“Life is a roadtrip with twists and turns. How can we support one another to navigate the road to gender equality?”
We are all on a journey.
It has many ups and downs, inevitably we hit our fair share of dints in the road and we slow down when it comes to speed bumps. For working women, these bumps can occur in many forms, from pregnancy to obstacles of access to childcare.
Gaining gender equality in the workplace is a goal for the youth of this generation .
But how? What methods can we implement to ensure a future where any individual can achieve?
And how can we support each other along this path?
I believe that we should implement strategies that are proven to be effective.
Scandinavian countries such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark have implemented regulation in hopes of
encourage gender equality and non binary roles in families so that children grow in an environment of fairness. Many of these policies are family based, specifically focusing on parental leave and childcare.
Governments do this by;
1. Granting long parental leave for both partners – 480 days (approximately 68 weeks), where carers can share leave time with up to 80% of regular pay and have a guaranteed spot of return into former jobs.
2. Enabling free childcare for babies, youth and student in schools.
3. Providing equality bonuses – Rewarding parents financially who take equal amounts off time as primary carers.
Nordic countries are tackling these issues, they are on our same road, but moreover they are further down it then we are, why? They are on that road together, men, women, children, governments. Everyone is part of the solution. Navigating it together, not just as men and women but as a society, building a whole new culture of equality.
In Australia we are challenged by a different culture. Juxtaposed against the Nordic system is the Australian culture. Unfortunately we do not compare favourably. With 18 weeks minimum wage paid parental leave and limited, expensive childcare choices, what option do women have but to discern work?
We are the antithesis of the Nordic system, the status quo means our culture loses many capable women from the workforce and loses them for too long, for the wrong reasons, driving couples into adopting traditional gender roles. We can do better. Legislative reform would encourage a culture of care, collaboration and support. We would see Australia realise the economic success of having a diverse range of perspectives from highly educated women.
Ultimately we are all in this together, we are moving down the road to gender equality and we have a long way to go. I want to see in my lifetime that we can get a long way from where we are now.
It may not take us all the way, but following the lead of our Nordic neighbours would be a pretty sound first step moving forward and supporting each other towards gender equality.”