PRIME MINISTER
FOW1~ BDIA~ 16 NOVEM'BER 1981
PRESENTATION OF THE 1981 BUIAJETIN/ QANTAS
AWARD FOR AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS11OMAN OF THE YEAR
I am pleased indeed to be here to pr'esent the fourth Businesswomnn
of the Year Award because it is an award which highlights the
contribution whichwomen are mak~ ing in business and so it helps
to reflect? the social transformation in Australia in terms of
opening up -and diversifying opportunities for women.
Virginia Woolf, was on'ce 6 รต kid to speak about her experiences
as a working woman and she seemied to think that she had cheated
because she felt that she had not really made any sort of conscious
decision to write for money. As she put it, she becamne a
journalist simply as a result of posting off to a magazine editor,
without really having any serious hopes of s~ iccess, a few Ra
~ heciue
even though it'was only for one pound ten and sixpence, and she
says that what she bought with the proceeds was a perisian cat.
But then, as she said, " I grew ambitious. A persian cat is
all very well, but a persian cat is not enough. I must have a
motor car... And thus it was that I became a novelist for it
is a very strange thing that people will give you a motor car
if you will tell them a story'.
I don't know whether there is any moral in this story but I have
no doubt that her story underestimates -the hard work~ and
determination that she and other women including many applicants
for this award have had to-put into winning'krooms of your
own in the house hitherto exclusaively owned by men."
There is obviously a great deal that can he said on the subject
of equality of emxploymnent opportunity in our community but one
matter on which there is surely no. doubt is that every future
history of our times will give a significant. place to the
subject of women in the workforce. In some respects, it would
have to be 6aid that substantial strides have been taken
towards equality of opportunity and greater freedom in the
employment system,
Let me mention a few figures. The number of women in administrative,
executive and managerial positions has increased by
40% to over 53i00O in the 10 years to' 1980 and the number
of women inl professional and technical p~ sitions has increased
by almnost 90%, to more than 420,000 in the same period.
Overall female employment grew by 29% over the same 10 year
period compared to 12% growth in male employment.
But there* are other figures v', hichpaint a more disappointing
picture of progress towards the objective of equality of
opportunity. Despite the 40% increahE' that I have mentioned
women now fill * onl'y 14% of adminiistrative, executive and
managerial positions and although women comprise almost
of the workforce, there is an unnatural ccincentr'atiof of2 .% qmenr.
in a narrow ranae of iobs. Fnr Rua2mnp 629-are. in ___ ial
saIea and service -occupations-and last year, women made up
less than half of 1% of those in apprenticeship training ill
Australia if hairdressing is excluded. Still there are surprise~ s
even in the Public Service.
I am told that one of the suburban offices-of the Department
of Social Security has only one man among its fifteen staff
members and he is a social worker. Real attempts are being
made to open up a greater diversity of occupational
opportunities. The National Labour cons ultative COuncil Is
Guidel. ines for Emloyers on equal opportunities for women was
lauched earlier this year and Australia is. a signatory to
the U. N. Convention on the Elimination ' of al. Forms, of
Discrimination Against women.
The Commonwealth will launch a major promotion campaign next
month designed to encourage young women to consider apprentic.-eships
ill traditionally non-female occupations, arid there is little
doubt that quite simple initiatives such as this can have a
significant impact on future employment patterns. It is obvious,
that no matter what may be done to widen opportunities, the
consequences of earlier practices wiill continue to have an
pract on the pattern of employment for manly years.
But in addition to that, there are persisting barriers to
equality and diversity in employment opportunities. There isi
in some places a continuing bias in education towards
traditionally female occupations, There is in some places a
continuing bias of one kind or another in recruitment procedures
and without doubt, there are still varioks forms of discrimination.
In ahistorical perspective, however, the remarkable thing i1w-not
so much that barriers still exist but. that a real notion of
equality of employment opportunity has achieved such widespread
acceptance in commnity attitudes in a comparatively few years.
W-hile the very exi, 5tence of an awa-rd such as this is in a sense
a commentary, if you think albout it, on the fact thait equality
of opportunity is not yet fully a reality, the fact that we find
it hat d, from thte vantage point of 1981, to believe that MarrLied
women were barred from permanent positions in the Public Service
as recently as 1966 is a comentary on how far community attitudes
have shifted.
The full sign~ ificance of the changes tha-: t hav. e been taking place
is not easy to assess and while it is not easy to find an
historical benchmark from which to start:, I find some interest
in the fact that in the original Liberal Party platform of 1946
there is a section entitled " status of women" which contains
the following simple but comprehensive statement " Equality
of opportunities, liberties and statut for men and women".-
These. words were farsighted in several waya, and they are
_. eloquent of the key point which is sometimes forgotten
that while equality of opportunity is plainly a fundwiental aim,
the freedom of women to choose whether to work in employment
or to stay at home to look after their family is also fundamental.
In additi-on to those two choices, there is also the possible
option which a number of people seek and which a number of
employers may be able to develop successfully of flexibility
and a variety of part-time employment arrangements..
This possibility raises a number of questions which have not
been fully answered. But if significant development of this option
should prove to be widely successful in terms of satisfactory
and effective emnployment frot -the point of view of both
employer and employee, it could have consequences not only in
relation to equality of employment opportunity but also in
terms of enlarging the scope for diversity of lifestyles
throughout our community.
Such a development really would contain somne challenging
possibilities because it could provuide a framework for placing
the freedom to choose into its proper relationship with
equal ity--of-oppor tun ity for all in a responsible society.
Buit the purpose of this gathering is; not. so much to look at
future developments but rather to offer congratulations on
present achievements._ Titere is no question about the value to
Australian business -of * the contribution that businesswomen are
making an ' d the nominations for this particuilar award are
indicative of the very wide range of business activities in
which women are engaged. I am advised that the panel of judges
in this particular year-hadac~ considerable field from which
to make their decision and I am pleased to announce that the
wiener of the 1981 Bulletin/ Oantas Award for the Australian
Businesswoman of the Year is lisEve Mahiab.
Eve is widely known in the commuity as a person with a very
considerable capacity to communicate the cause and the special
needs of women in the workforce. I understand that it was in
1968 that Eve started up her consultancy business,. using her
legal qualifications in the recruitment o~ f lawyers for law
f irms and corporations. ThisE business has grown and extended
in several directions. The firm of which Eve Nahlab is now
the Chief Executive has become involved in the prodxttetion of
a number of specialized business. diaries.. It has extended its
consultancy and recruitment ser'. iceg beyond the law to the
construction industry and indeed beyond Auistralia to South East Asia.
Eve, I don' t know., whether you, would want toi extend the employnent
side of your business further anld take on a confract td-deal
with the problem of unemployment as a wqhole but anyway, I do
wan~ t to take the opportunity of congratulating you for Your energy
and initiative in building bustnisshisia
W* t -fp hrt-~ ind eed7' a.
-000---