Female lawyers across the country have expressed their optimism on the election of the first female prime minister for Australia. "The election of Julia Gillard as PM is an important watershed moment in terms of women being involved in public participation and politics,” said Astrid Haban-Beer, convenor of Victorian Women Lawyers and AGS lawyer. “To have a female PM suggests that Australia recognises and accepts that women are capable and valued as members of the community, who can reach any heights of seniority in the workforce.”
Rebecca Barry, vice president of the Women Lawyers’ Association of New South Wales and solicitor at TressCox Lawyers is equally optimistic that the news of Gillard’s appointment will have a positive impact on corporate Australia. “Hopefully there will be further policies following this result and companies will look to employ more women in senior roles, to encourage diversity across corporate Australia.”
While things have improved for women in the corporate world and while Australia has a female prime minister and a female governor general, Barry said that the number of women in senior roles is still well below what many hope for. According to statistics from the annual Australia Women Lawyers Conference females still only account for approximately 20% of partners in law firms in Australia and about 10% of the Bar.
Haban-Beer said the challenge for corporate Australia is to reflect the diversity that exists within the community: “This means that women, as well as people from non-English speaking backgrounds, indigenous people, and people with disabilities need to be promoted into such positions, based on their merit.”
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