Innovating for gender-equal is something that I have always driven throughout my life so I find this a difficult question to answer.  I do not see a woman or man, I see a person.  The frameworks that we exist within [Policies, Law, Religious believes] are all skewed with a bias towards men, because in the most they were legislated over the years by men.  The mindsets of people, our unconscious biases, are what need to change.  And this is something that has to be unlearned.  I would love to see our future where we do not judge based on gender, rather the person, who they are, their capability, skills and passion. From a political perspective – I would also like to see a complete overhauled, removal of the ‘old fashioned’ mostly male environment and mindset [even those women who operate in this space have betrayed themselves and towed the party lines] – as policy and legislation plays a large factor in how society and businesses operate, we could start to shift to a more contemporary business model, including mindfulness and equity for all as a standard operating model.

Innovating for a gender-equal future should involve directing innovation resources (people, funds, focus) toward problems that occur uniquely for women and non-binary people. Often the “male” is considered the “default” (throwback to the male-standard crash dummies in cars), not considering the specific challenges other genders may have in participation or using systems. This imbalance leads to adverse outcomes for anyone who is not the default – for example, men with disabilities or neurodivergence. The other side of this equation is to include people of these genders in the innovation – having a more diverse workforce. If our innovators don’t reflect the composition of the population we are solving for, we may not be able to understand the problems in the first place, let alone being able to create solutions.

Innovation to me looks like more dads doing school pick up, coming to assemblies, having a dad’s playgroup and working part time without questions or judgement. It looks like women in leadership across a range of industries and professions. Innovation looks like equitable gender inclusions in studies for science to better understand women’s bodies and provide better healthcare. It looks like protecting women’s super and ensuring they have adequate care available for economic and health issues they are more likely to face such as domestic violence.

My entire life I have had the benefit of living within a multicultural society, a culturally diverse family, with disability and experienced various forms of adversity.  I am not blinded that we are all different, unique, however I do not see genealogy, religion or age.  I see a fellow human being.  So how do I make a difference for those who travel on my path?  I share my knowledge, give them my time and offer advice where I can.  I care and am present when they talk to me, am compassionate when they need it.

I believe that if we are not actively inclusive, then we are excluding. It is important to recognize barriers that women and non-binary people face and take action to lower these barriers.

As an ally, it’s important to recognize and understand your privilege and how it affects your interactions with groups and individuals. Start by listening to the experiences and perspectives of other people. Take time to reflect on your own experiences and how they might differ from those of people from other groups. When interacting with people from other groups, pay attention to your own thoughts and reactions. Use your privilege to amplify the voices of people from those groups. Take action to address systemic issues that perpetuate privilege and marginalisation, such as lending your support to those change initiatives driven by those groups most effected.

We have 3 young boys and I try to make small differences by being mindful of the things I say and do. E.g. I would tell the boys that pink is not a girl’s colour or that blue is not only for boys – this is their immediate response when faced with picking coloured toys or clothes. Normalising things like this will help our future generation be more mindful of what gender equity is. I treat people the way I want to be treated – fairly and honestly.

Accuteque is a unique organisation because we are like a family, we laugh together, we challenge each other and we share a common goal – to make a difference and leave all those involved in what we do in a better position than when we started.  We operate in a flat structure and leave our egos behind.  We encourage diversity in thought and action.  Our team are empowered to act and do so with a sense of purpose.  Our team delivers our services leveraging flexible working arrangements.  We have a ‘work from anywhere, outcome focused’ mindset and we employ likeminded people who want to do amazing things at work that has a positive impact for our clients, their colleagues and themselves.  We allow our team to shine, bringing their best skills to the forefront and provide coaching and personal development opportunities to learn from others and build their skills.  We have courageous conversations that are respectful and help us to grow as a business.  We bring our whole selves to work, enabling an inclusive workplace, free of barriers, with a continuous promotion of equity and equality.

Accuteque promotes flexible working with regards to work hours, location, and care giving responsibilities. By empowering their employees and having trust with our leadership team, it has made a safe and comfortable workplace to accept or ask for accommodations to make their work better. 

I prefer promoting equity rather than gender equality. Equity recognizes that each person, not gender, has different circumstances and may need additional or different resources and opportunities in order to reach an equal outcome.

Our male counterparts have a huge role to play in promoting gender equality, especially those who are in positions of power and influence.  Men in influential positions can actively champion the change throughout their organisations and in their daily lives, becoming role models that others can follow in their footsteps.

Recognizing their own advantages in society and calling out others when there is the potential for room to exist to give women more opportunities in the workforce and society for equality.

Men can speak up when they witness biases or unjust done to women e.g. sexual harassment, pay gap, promotion opportunities. Men at home can also take on what is stereotypically seen as a woman’s job like caregiving, house chores, cooking etc. This does not mean we are expecting men to do more, we are simply wanting a fair share of rights and responsibilities for both genders.