Join the Women's Leadership Institute Australia Panel Pledge Movement
In Australia, the “2019 Women for Media Report” from the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia (WLIA) outlined the lack of expert women cited in the media as a public forum. It is estimated that only 30% of panelists in Australia are women.
Carol Schwartz AO, Founder and Chair of WLIA, has long been committed to elevating the visibility of expert women in Australia. When she learned of an American panel diversity initiative she decided to introduce this concept as the gold standard to the Australian business community.
Together with partners Male Champions of Change, and Chief Executive Women, WLIA launched the Panel Pledge initiative, a simple and practical action that company leaders and senior executives can take to demonstrate support women leaders and to promote gender equity in every forum:
In addition to the actual Pledge, the group created an entire Pledge Guide that highlights the consequences of (in)visibility of women on panels, how to implement the Pledge, and tips for implementing a gender-balanced conference.
Included is a Panel Pledge Letter to send to event organisers when there is gender imbalance on the panel and a panel tracker tool where you can keep track of the gender balance of panels at conferences you’ve been invited to participate in or attend.
WLIA also have developed a variety of icons that can be used in company marketing materials, from email signatures to event brochures, annual reports, websites, on social media, and anywhere else you think appropriate to demonstrate your commitment to gender equity.
“I’m thrilled to see the Panel Pledge is continuing to gain momentum in Australia and internationally, and I invite every CEO and senior executive to take part. Gender parity on panels facilitates diverse thought leadership, and yields rich and productive results for the whole population.”
Carol Schwartz, AO, Chair, Women’s Leadership Institute Australia
“Making choices about the composition of our teams is part of leadership. By signing up to the Panel Pledge you are taking a stand about the voices and diverse opinions you value.”
Sue Morphet, President, Chief Executive Women
“One of the things I’ve learnt is that if you don’t intentionally include women, you unintentionally exclude women.”
Elizabeth Broderick, AO, Founder Male Champions of Change
“Elevating the visibility of female scientists is critical to boosting the profile, funding and advancement of their research. Conferences and symposia that do not include all of our best minds have the potential to hold back women’s careers and delay vital medical advances. That is just unacceptable.”
Doug Hilton, AO, Director, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
So far, more than 200 Australian leaders and organisations have made a commitment to the Panel Pledge, including Qantas, Telstra, the University of Sydney and Western Sydney University and we invite you to do the same.
Please visit wlia.org.au to learn more about the Panel Pledge and to access materials created to help you increase the visibility and contribution of women leaders. Be part of this movement - display your Panel Pledge commitment proudly in support of diversity in every forum!
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The Women’s Leadership Institute Australia has been a great ally to GenderAvenger almost from the beginning. Their mission — Equal Voice. Equal Representation. Equal Recognition. We catalyse, inspire and affect systemic solutions to achieve gender equality in Australia — closely aligns with ours, and we’re pleased to have the opportunity to support their Panel Pledge. Thank you to Ella Mitchell, Content Manager, Women’s Leadership Institute Australia, for sharing this valuable resource with us.