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On International Women’s Day we celebrate our Australian female designers across the country and their contributions to the design profession. For designers, this year’s theme for IWD – Break the Bias – provides a focus to consider how achievement is recognised and a reminder to dismantle outdated stereotypes.

IWD is recognised around the world to highlight the enduring inequality experienced by cis and trans gender women, non-binary and feminine-identifying people.

The gender pay gap is an example of inequality that illustrates how hard it is to shift outcomes that have complex causes. While it has been nearly half a century since it became unlawful to discriminate in the workplace on the basis of sex, Australia still has a gender pay gap of 13.8%.

What does this mean? It means that women in Australia on average earn less than men. Some of the difference comes from men being paid more for similar work or being given more opportunities for advancement, which reflects bias in hiring and promotion decisions. Being open about individual pay rates and recognising different forms of achievement can help to #break-the-bias here.

Some of the difference arises from how our society values female and male dominated industries. For example, Systems Design is male dominated (12% female) and Interior Design is female dominated (76% female). Both are rated as very high skill but average earnings are higher for systems designers. This is a tougher nut to crack and requires economy wide changes.

The remaining reasons for the gender pay gap stem from the differences – on average – in how women and men share the work of running a household, raising children and caring for family members. Women tend to have more time out of the workforce, which can have an impact on their career progression. It’s also common for women to have periods of part time work, which can limit the types of roles they hold. For designers, this might mean that they are assigned more admin tasks and have less opportunity to use their creative skills because projects are planned around full time roles. This is a factor that we each can address in our workplaces through the way work is allocated and what flexibility we offer.

Gender inequality is also a leading cause of domestic violence. Men who hold rigid views about gender roles and their rights to control women are more likely to commit violence against women.

When gender inequality intersects with other forms of discrimination the likelihood of violence is increased. First Nations women report experiencing violence at more than three times the rate of non-Indigenous women. More than 70% of Aboriginal women experience physical violence in their lifetime. More than two thirds of women with disabilities report experiencing at least one instance of violence since age 15, and are more than twice as likely to experience sexual violence as women without disabilities.

These issues can seem intractable but there are some practical steps you can take to Break the Bias and actively promote gender equality in your workplace:

• Be aware of power dynamics and your own impact on office culture stretch target: reflect on your internalised gender bias

• Notice language – gender inequality can be perpetuated by the words you use to describe the work or behaviour of colleagues or clients stretch target: read up on gender inclusive language

• Be serious about respect – make it easy for someone to speak up if they are not comfortable about behaviours or attitudes stretch target: initiate conversations about recognising and responding to gender inequality

• Learn to recognise the signs of domestic violence and know what services are in your local area stretch target: support a First Nations women’s legal service or an organisation focusing on women with disability

• Support parents at work by scheduling meetings to allow school drop offs/pick ups stretch target: design pathways for women to maintain their skills and professional standing around career breaks; encourage the use of parental leave by men

If you are in a leadership role you could also:

• Create opportunities to increase women’s participation in decision making stretch target: develop a formal strategy and commit to being open about progress

• Examine your organisation’s policies and procedures on gender equality stretch target: invest in an audit of corporate documents, your website and client forms as well as recruitment and HR approaches

• Review how your organisation supports women’s safety and ensure that clients, suppliers and partners know that inappropriate behaviour won’t be tolerated stretch target: consider committing to workplace accreditation by White Ribbon Australia