Top 100 Take Parliam ...

Top 100 Take Parliament House

We chat to the Members of PowerHousing Australia about the importance of upskilling women, and how we can prevent homeless from today.

We spoke to the Members of PowerHousing Australia about the importance of upskilling women, and preventing those aged over 55 from remaining as the largest demographic on the Social Housing waitlist within the next 20 years.

We recognise the role of women has changed substantially over time. We were once the care givers, the home-makers, the child bearers, and the stay at home wives and Mothers. But now that the roles of women and men have changed, have the education systems adapted too?

We found a number of gaps in upskilling women, and when focusing on male dominated segments, there are still prevalent barriers in the way of equality. And yet dare not a girl ruffle the feathers to say so!

We have to recognise times have changed, and women are now contributing to the financial income of the household and not just childbearing. And even if we could solve the Nation’s affordable housing crisis, how would we ensure the future of our daughters? Would their education be uncapped or would they relive the fate of their Grandmothers?

With greater focus on wellbeing, emotional intelligence and education, it is no longer enough to merely provide a course to retain a woman’s career longevity. Data has shown the truth, women are slower to enter and quicker to leave the workforce! This is indicative of a huge gap in the support needed for retention and the scale of equality.

It’s one thing for employers to ask ‘if you need help, raise your hand’, but it’s another to expect help from a sector once masked with egos and where success depended on “toughness”. But this idea of success really couldn’t be further from the truth!

Last week, we sat in a room full of delegates at the PowerHousing Conference in Canberra, to identify not only the skills women needed, but how to support their learnings and measure their outcomes. We know that mental health and wellbeing of staff is an alarming concern for employers. As such, it is no longer adequate to rely on formal educational pathways and expect that people have the capacity to adapt, pivot, or develop resilience, and cope with the pressure of day to day life.

To use a case study, take organisations such as the Pyjama Foundation. These groups were founded to assist foster children in their basic education as it was identified that children who do not feeling safe, secure or like they belong, often cannot obtain basic educational needs. Our brains are hardwired to recognise fight or flight, and when activated in fight mode, the means to obtain education is secondary to survival! Therefore, do the environments we work in effect our capacity to grow, to have and retain optimum wellbeing, and feel safe enough to progress forward? You bet they do!

If you are operating in a sector like construction that is greatly male dominated, what are you doing to better support your female staff, to give them a better chance to scale, grow and perform at their best?

Hence why we have developed a supportive community like the Top 100 Women. Not only is it a platform to develop and advance on the educational front, but it is also an Industry Association that ensures a nurturing and supporting environment. It is a community for women in male dominated segments, which fosters professional development and provides your staff a better chance to progress in your company and pursue future opportunities. The facts don’t lie!

As a referral to reward the organisations who invest in their female staff we will be providing and advertising a Preferred Industry Employers List. See how you can become one too.