Who's Managing Gender Balance in Private Sector Organizations? A Study of Senior Management Women in Australia

EEO policies designed to address gender balance have been in place in Australian organizations since 1986. However, gender balance at management levels in private sector organizations has proved highly resistant to change and women still represent very low proportions particularly in senior management ranks. This paper reports on the views and strategies of 251 senior management women in private sector organizations in Australia towards issues of gender balance in management. The aim is to quantify the proportion of women in private sector organizations that believe there is a need for more gender balance in management and what proportion address the problem of gender balance by supporting EEO policies and/or implementing proactive strategies. The results show that the overwhelming majority of women believe there is a need for more women in decision-making positions in senior management in Australia. However, only a minority support existing government policies and personally enact strategies that would enable more women to enter senior management ranks. The results are discussed with regard to their implications for gender balance at senior management level in private sector Australian organizations.