Perth in Focus - Filling the Pool Starts Early - Latest Research

Event Date: 
20 March 2019
Time: 
12:00pm
Price: 
$175.00
Venue: 
Hyatt Regency Perth, Grand Ballroom
99 Adelaide Terrace
PERTH

Dr. Terrance Fitzsimmons, lead researcher of Filling the Pool and Senior Lecturer at the University of Queensland Business School, will be presenting the Committee's latest FACTBase Bulletin on gender equality.

The genesis of the Hand's Up for Gender Equality report were findings from the Filling the Pool study, which showed that women's relative lack of confidence was playing a significant role in limiting their career progress. Past research has shown that women's confidence, relative to men's, declines from nine years of age through to their mid-seventies where confidence levels once again become equal. Many reasons for this disparity have been put forward including the gendered organisational structures, societal expectations and the relative lack of leadership role models for women. These factors have not been previously tested. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that the factors which give rise to the relative disparity in self-confidence starting in late childhood and early adolescence, and continuing into adulthood, may not be present in girls who attend single sex schools.

The Hand's Up for Gender Equality report, which surveyed 10,000+ boys and girls in high matriculation single sex schools, found this to be true. Boys and girls, at least in this environment, showed equal levels of self-confidence. Nonetheless, stereotypes between career interests of boys and girls remain gendered in year seven and these views remain unchanged through to the end of high school. The study offers some insights into why these stereotypes may persist, even where confidence levels are the same between boys and girls.

After the keynote address, there will be a Q&A panel session with experts from leading organisations making significant progress in gender equality. They will reflect on the research and discuss how they are actively making a change.

Organiser: 
Committee for Perth
madeline.berry@committeeforperth.com.au
www.committeeforperth.com.au/events/filling-the-pool-starts-early
08 9481 5699

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