Mitchell Shire Council is celebrating International Women’s Day and reflecting on its own practices to promote and encourage gender inclusivity and opportunity.
International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world each year on March 8.
The day is a time to reflect on progress and to celebrate the courage and determination of the women who have changed history throughout, and those who will advance the issue into the future.
The theme for 2023 is ‘embrace equity’, which seeks to encourage people to talk about how to focus on better outcomes.
Mitchell Shire Mayor Fiona Stevens said equal opportunities were no longer enough and some purported equal opportunities could actually exclude women, rather than include them.
Equality means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities.
Whereas equity recognises that each person has different circumstances, and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.
“International Women’s Day is a time for celebrating the fantastic contributions by the women in our communities,” she said.
“These contributions sit beside partnerships with all other stakeholders who jointly aim to make our community more inclusive with equal and fair opportunities for all.
“However, progress still needs to be made. We all have a role to play and days like International Women’s Day are important to keep the discussion and focus moving, and to bring people together to reflect on the advancements we have made and how we will build upon this.
“Women are still very much an underutilised resource, and it is our loss if we don’t fully embrace their significant value to our community.”
Mitchell Shire Council is addressing both gender equity and equality through their Gender Equality Action Plan 2021 – 2025.
Council’s Gender Equality Action Plan aims to progress initiatives and outcomes in the organisation and also contribute to preventing gender-based violence in the community.
Council has also started undertaking Gender Impact Assessments via an app that is the first of its kind for a Victorian local government.
The app will greatly assist staff to plan for and create fairer policies, programs and services to help people have equal access to opportunities and resources within both the council organisation and the broader community.
Visit council’s website for more information about its Gender Equality Action Plan and how it is promoting community-led events.
