Today is International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate the achievements and progress in gender equality and taking stock of the work we still need to do. This year, the theme for IWD is #embraceequity.
At Monash Health, we are on a journey to embracing equity and we have achieved much since we started in June 2015 with the launch of Women in Medicine. In 2022, we successfully launched our first Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP). This outlines our aim to provide fair opportunities to enable equal outcomes for individuals regardless of their gender identities by 2025, with a focus on activities to raise awareness, knowledge and skill development.
Associate Professor Anjali Dhulia, Chief Medical Officer and Executive Director, Medical Services and co-chair, Gender Equity Committee, highlights our annual reporting on key gender metrics as a positive step towards gender equity.
“We cannot improve what we don’t measure! Making our gender metrics transparent, allows us to understand our current state and gaps, which provides the platform to bring change.”
“We have been able to implement policies and programs to drive a supportive culture, promote flexible work arrangements and offer leadership development opportunities for our people.”
Anjali also highlights that IWD provides the opportunity to reflect on personal experiences, recognise the power or privilege we hold and use that to lift those who may not have a voice.
“I had the opportunity to have an education and was able to make progress in my life and career without gender being a disadvantage, and that is a privilege.”
“I met people who recognised the importance of gender equality and understand that the effective functioning of an organisation relies on creating an inclusive environment.”
“I was able to be an advocate, and I have continued to do so in my position as co-chair of the Gender Equity Committee.”
We promote a workplace where all our employees feel safe, respected, included and treated fairly without bias or discrimination, and have adopted an intersectional approach to this.
“We need to celebrate what we have achieved to improve gender equality. We also need to take stock and understand that there is still a way to go. Our work is not done yet!
Approved by A/Prof Anjali Dhulia