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This paper outlines the results of research conducted with women enrolled at TAFE NSW's Illawarra Institute to train in manual trades traditionally dominated by males. The research is informed by the author's 14 years as a trade painter and decorator, and her experience as a trade teacher. 16 women from 10 trades (electrical, carpentry, bricklaying, plumbing, painting and decorating, signcraft, boiler-making, fitting and machining, automotive spraying and butchery) took part in the research, representing 34 per cent of the women training in non-traditional trades at Illawarra Institute. The findings of the report confirm the importance of informal networks in securing apprenticeships for women. Factors which supported these women to overcome obstacles were a love and passion for their chosen trade and a high level of tenacity and perseverance. Additional findings refute negative myths and gender-discriminatory statements about the capability of women to be effective tradespeople, such as their physical ability or the lack of childcare and family issues. Employer support was found to be crucial in helping women succeed in their trades and in guiding future gender shifts.

This paper is the result of a 2008 NCVER New Researcher Award. Show less

This book examines the critical and important issues associated with women at work. It investigates these issues at the level of government, of business, and of the individual, and this enables an evaluation of the progress of women at work within the institutional and legislative framework in Australia. The book deals with a number of emerging trends such as superannuation, pay inequality, gender regimes, negotiation, and contemporary issues in leadership. It also examines more recently changes in legislation such as the introduction of the Fair Work Act 2009, the impact on women at work based on these changes and the proposed changes to the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act. Although the scope of this work relates to generic issues for women at work in Australia, the content has far reaching policy and practice implications for women in most countries, particularly women at work in the Asia Pacific region. The chapters are as follows: Women and work in Australia: a theoretical and historical overview / Marian Baird; Trends in women’s participation in the Australian workforce 1900-2010 / Juliet Andrews and Juliet Bourke; Gender pay equity issues in Australia: patterns and causes / Peter McGraw; Work, life and women in Australia / Barbara Pocock; Diversity management / Robin Kramar; Legislated frameworks and future challenges / Angela Knox and Patricia Todd; The future isn’t what it used to be: women, work and the ‘new’ retirement / Geraldine Lamont, Mike Rafferty and Susan Ryan; Getting to the heart of gender equity in executive roles: applying job design principles to achieve gender equity outcomes / Juliet Bourke and Juliet Andrews; Executive women, gendered behaviour and adaptive social structures / Peter A. Murray; Women’s leadership and mentoring / Wendy McCarthy; Representations of gender and leadership in Australian television drama / Jane O’Sullivan; Sugar ‘n’ spice and all things nice: gender and strategy choices in negotiation / Mara Olekalns and Carol T. Kulik.

Summary from publisher’s website with additional information. Show less

This report highlights the major impact that award restructuring has on women workers. It is well understood that award restructuring will have a major impact on all workers. But in the case of women workers, this impact will be even more significant. For women, the restructuring process will either reinforce the existing division of labour by sex or it will mean the revaluing of women’s traditionally undervalued skills. Award restructuring will impact on women differently because women are concentrated in specific industries and occupations, and because unlike male workers, 39 per cent of women work part-time. At each stage the award restructuring process will have to be monitored and adjusted to ensure its responsiveness to women workers and to their particular position in an industry’s workforce. These guidelines have been designed to assist in that adjustment process. They provide specific strategies which can be applied to industry level to reduce the division of men and women into different occupations, classifications and skill categories. Like award restructuring itself, the guidelines are ultimately about removing barriers and increasing flexibility.

Excerpt from published preamble. Show less

This report describes a research project which examined the implementation of vocational education and training reform and the impact these reforms have had in relation to women's ability to effectively access and participate in non-traditional training opportunities. Observation began through case studies of women employed in entry-level training positions in the electronic and automotive industry Australian Vocational Training System (AVTS) pilot programs. These were selected due to their identification as future growth industries, and also due to their very low female participation rates. Information was gathered through: a literature review; participant surveys; and structured interviews with participating female apprentices, trainers and organisers of the training program, employers and relevant funding organisations. Detailed descriptions of each of the two case study sites are given, along with the findings obtained from each. Other sections of the report consider the pilot project outcomes and suggest strategies for a new system. Findings from the research indicate that the implementation of the AVTS can facilitate women's employment and training - if access and equity considerations are viewed by industry as being central to the new system.

An article describing this project further is indexed at TD/SA 46.10. Show less

This report proposes changes to measures of equity for women which are compatible with existing performance measurement arrangements. Taking account of likely changes in the future, it also proposes measures of equity for women for the longer term. It is intended that these measures assist VET stakeholders to deliver better outcomes to women. Component sections include: description of the context of performance measurement in VET; analysis of current approaches to measuring equity for women in VET; proposals for future directions; recommendations for the national VET system, for state and territory systems, and for providers; and literature review. Proposals and recommendations were informed by the activities and findings of other, related initiatives. The report was prepared for the Vocational Education, Employment and Training Women's Taskforce of the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA)' Vocational Education, Employment and was managed by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research. It was commissioned by the Taskforce as a key project supporting the 'National women's vocational education and training strategy' (indexed at TD/ERD 87.23). Show less

This study examines the position of women in the national training reform agenda and enterprise bargaining by analysing federally registered, enterprise bargaining agreements. It explores the importance attached to training issues in the bargaining process and details workplace changes likely to affect the capacity of working women to take up training opportunities. Policy development issues are identified, in terms of women's struggle for equity in the labour market. In particular, an appropriate workplace infrastructure is needed. That infrastructure would be based on perceiving as 'productive' all efforts to improve equity in the workplace. From that perception could follow, for example, flexible timetabling of training, improved representation of women in the bargaining process, and increased training entitlements for casual and part-time workers. Further research is suggested into on-going maintenance of a database integrating enterprise bargaining agreements and affirmative action agency reports.

The research was based on an analysis of 1,029 agreements certified by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (May 1991-July 1993). Show less

This book addresses concerns about men's attitudes to and involvement in lifelong and lifewide learning. The editors note the growing interest in finding ways to increase men's participation and promote practices that will contribute to men's learning and wellbeing, particularly in contexts and life stages for men beyond paid work. The contributions present evidence from theory, research, policy and practice, illustrated with case studies from seven countries. As a connected issue, the book also presents evidence and builds a case for the initial education of boys to receive particular attention, in order to break intergenerational cycles of aversion to learning for some men and some communities.

The contents are as follows: Part one contains the following chapters: Men learning through life / Barry Golding, Rob Mark and Annette Foley (pages 3-19); Men's learning in international settings / Barry Golding (pages 20-33); Men's health and wellbeing: learning through the lifecourse / John Macdonald (pages 34-48); Empowering men to learn through literacy / Rob Mark (pages 49-62); The case for some men's spaces / Annette Foley (pages 63-76); Learning beyond the workplace / Barry Golding (pages 77-96); Men and boys: ages and stages / Annette Foley and Barry Golding (pages 97-112); Men's sheds: a new movement for change / Barry Golding (pages 113-128). Part two contains: Men's learning in the UK / Rob Mark and Jim Soulsby (pages 131-147); Men's learning in Ireland / Lucia Carragher, John Evoy and Rob Mark (pages 148-163); Men's learning in Portugal / Antonio Fragoso, Joao Filipe Marques and Milene Lanca (pages 164-178); Men's learning in Greece / Georgios K. Zarifis (pages 179-195); Men's learning in China / Aijing Jin, Zhao Tingyan, Liang Hua and Barry Golding (pages 196-204); Men's learning in Australia / Barry Golding and Annette Foley (pages 205-225); Men's learning in Aotearoa/New Zealand / Brian Findsen (pages 226-243); Men's turn to learn?: discussion and conclusion / Barry Golding, Rob Mark and Annette Foley (pages 244-259). Show less

This report provides a snapshot of the working lives of women in Australia and the United States. The analysis spans education, the nature of labour force engagement, gender gaps in paid and unpaid labour, women's representation in corporate leadership, and the national policy frameworks and organisational policies which contextualise and can leverage gender equality and inequality. The analysis is based on publicly available data from official sources. At the national level, the majority of data came from the US Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. For cross-country comparisons, data came from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Economic and Family Databases. It shows that Australia has caught up to - and on some measures surpassed - the United States in female labour force participation and in relation to women's representation in senior and strategic organisational roles.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

This background paper argues that women are under-represented in the Australian manufacturing industry, making up just 27 per cent of the manufacturing workforce as of February 2015. Not only are women not employed in traditional manufacturing roles, they are also not employed in the higher paid, higher skilled occupations that are needed in a modern Australian manufacturing industry. The majority of female employees are employed as clerical and administrative workers (27 per cent) or labourers (20 per cent). The paper notes that Manufacturing Skills Australia (MSA) considers women to be an under-utilised resource in the manufacturing industry. It begins with a snapshot of women in the manufacturing industry and then reviews Australian statistics on employment of women by industry, barriers to employment of women in manufacturing, Australian and international research, and government policies and funding programs, and industry programs aimed at encouraging women to enter non-traditional occupations.

The paper concludes that the successful attraction and retention of women into the manufacturing industry and also into the engineering trades is vital for the sustainability of Australian manufacturing and the future of engineering. However, the majority of initiatives in Australia continue to focus on the construction and resources industries. It is argued that there continues to be a real lack of research around women working in the manufacturing industry in Australia and in particular the 'traditional trades' within manufacturing. Areas where research continues to be needed are recommended.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

Vocational education and training (VET) has a long history in Australia, however the 'official' history of women as active participants in VET and the relationship between women and VET in Australia is an unfolding story, much of which is located in contemporary times. This report takes the form of a critical literature review focusing on the multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral arena encompassing the broad field of women and VET. It does not purport to represent a definitive view of women and VET, but intends to indicate the breadth of the field and highlight selected contemporary debates and challenges. It is drawn from many different academic disciplines from both within Australia and overseas, and includes the work of individuals, research teams, diverse community groups and government and non-government organisations. Show less