Boosting women's participation in "non-traditional" industries like forestry, mining, construction and agriculture is the next step in the Tasmanian Government's plan to address the gender pay gap.
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Since 2015, the proportion of females in senior executive roles in the state service increased from 29.7 per cent to 45.8 per cent, along with an increase of 33.8 per cent to 46.4 per cent for women holding government board and committee positions.
This improvement came after the government set a range of targets to increase women's participation in the highest rungs of the public service, including a 50 per cent target of women on government boards by 2022.
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Attention is now turning to helping women enter male-dominated industries which attract higher average pay than female-dominated industries, as outlined in the government's Leadership and Participation for Women Action Plan, released on Monday to coincide with International Women's Day.
Among the priorities for 2021 to 2023 include developing a statewide program to attract and retain women in forestry, building, construction, mining, fisheries and agriculture, and a roundtable between government and industry to provide more educational and vocational opportunities for women in these areas.
Minister for Women Sarah Courtney said increasing the number of women in leadership roles within government had set an example for industries.
"What we're doing is partnering with industry to ensure that we have got programs available that will help participation of women in industry," she said.
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"We know that there should not be any barriers, and what we're doing with this type of work is not only breaking down any barriers that do exist, but also promoting young women with their aspirations.
"We know that part of our work to be able to reach gender equality is about breaking down any barriers that are there, but also ensuring that women are encouraged and supported to step up."
The government provided $2.5 million over two years for a statewide program to help more women enter different industries, with the specific funding allocation to be announced in the coming weeks.
Other priorities from the government's action plan include programs to encourage "the next generation of female leaders" to pursue a career in Parliament, promote a women in sport coaching scholarship and expand the Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women.
The government will also employ an industry liaison officer in the Department of Communities to form partnerships in an attempt to boost women's workforce participation.