Vanessa Vershaw: We seem to be kidding ourselves when it comes to gender equality, the fight is far from over

Australia seems to be kidding itself when it comes to gender equality. People think we’ve cracked the code, with a 2023 survey showing that 59 per cent of Australians believe gender equality is either sorted or well on its way. But the truth? We’re still stuck in a world where men and women aren’t treated the same, and in Australia, progress feels like it’s crawling. But you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise. Take WA — there has been a lot of glitz and hype. Women-only groups, conferences, networking events, media buzz, books, and, of course, the yearly cupcake fests at International Women’s Day. They make it look like we’re tackling the problem. There was even an event where attendees downed champagne, swung on poles, and got a pep talk about imposter syndrome for that “empowered” feeling. But let’s face it, the cupcakes have gone stale. Women aren’t calling the shots enough — they’re crammed into the backseat, and not all of them even make it into the car. So how could we be so off the mark? Well, it’s a tangled mix of reasons. We’ve let ourselves get dazzled by the surface-level stuff: slick women’s programs, quotas, diversity plans, and even ergonomically designed breastfeeding rooms that look good but often only scratch the surface. It’s like slapping a Band-Aid on a broken arm. Meanwhile, people are hitting “diversity fatigue” and tuning out entirely and just don’t want to hear about it anymore. To make matters worse, men are pushing back on diversity efforts, worried they’re getting sidelined. This backlash is slowing down progress on diversity targets. Their fears? Losing jobs, a changing world they’re uneasy about, feeling excluded from the conversations or just preferring things to stay as they are. Surveys back this up — with some men not even believing there’s still inequality at work, and in Australia studies showing that there are those who think reverse discrimination is now the problem. One Perth businessman even admitted in a board meeting to a well-known gender advocate the following: “Look, there is something that men will never tell you and that is that many of them — particularly aged 30 to 50 — genuinely fear that the advancement of women will disadvantage them, and they will lose their jobs. While this fear exists, progress will be slow.” The sad truth is, gender equality is more at risk than ever, and the fight is slipping away from us. So, where to from here? It’s time to ditch the cupcakes and get real. This is bigger than glossy initiatives or ticking boxes — it’s about building a world where equality isn’t just a buzzword but a daily reality. Whether it’s calling out old-school thinking, backing policies that drive change, or showing up for the cause, everyone’s got a role to play to drive progress. The fight for gender equality isn’t over — it’s far from it — and now’s the moment to push harder than ever before. Let’s get behind the wheel and steer this conversation toward meaningful, lasting change. Vanessa Vershaw is a workplace psychologist and author of The Sisterhood Paradox: The Psychology of Female Aggression at Work