Ziena Jalil: The representation of Māori, Pacific and Asian women in leadership and governance roles remains woefully low. Photo / Supplied
Ziena Jalil: The representation of Māori, Pacific and Asian women in leadership and governance roles remains woefully low. Photo / Supplied
COMMENT:
The theme for this year's International Women's Day is "Each for Equal". The reality is – to paraphrase George Orwell – some women are more equal than others.
The gender pay gap in New Zealand has closed, but it hasn't closed enough. For example, the average salary for Pacific women in the public sector is $64,600 compared with $91,400 for European men and $80,600 for European women. The average salary for Asian and Māori women is $69,600 and $72,700 respectively.
There are now more women CEOs and Board members than in the past, but the representation of Māori, Pacific and Asian women in leadership and governance roles remains woefully low. Those in leadership positions are often put into roles relating specifically to their communities, as though their skills, knowledge and experience does not have wider relevance.
We cannot celebrate the gains for women, until all women are enjoying the benefits of those gains.
When people hear of my career journey, particularly roles such as New Zealand Trade Commissioner to Singapore and being on the Board of Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED), the reaction often is: "oh, you've done well for a young, brown, migrant, woman".
Perhaps that's true, as I've had to work twice as hard, not to deliver results, but to prove I could.
Diversity advocate and Consultant Ziena Jalil. Photo / Supplied
I've been paid less than both my male and female counterparts.
I've had my ideas and suggestions credited to others who repeated them.
I've had my request to relocate my role declined for "business reasons" while my male successor had the same request approved.
I'm grateful for the many leadership opportunities I've had, but have been made to feel I should be.
The burden of representing minority communities is challenging, particularly if things go wrong and a higher standard is applied than for majority groups. As an example, if someone from a dominant group screws up, no one stops hiring people from those groups. But when you screw up as a minority, there's a view that perhaps your community is not fit.
As a Muslim, this is how we feel when a terror attack happens. The actions of one person can lead to an entire community being persecuted. Almost a year on, Christchurch is another good reminder – that all people aren't yet equal.
Why does this matter? Quite simply, it's about fairness and doing the right thing. And it makes good business sense to embrace diversity in a country where a quarter of the population were born overseas. Fifty-five per cent of Auckland's population is Māori, Pacific or Asian.
If you want to continue to have quality staff, and staff who can engage with a changing customer base; if you want loyal customers, stakeholders and shareholders – you have to be inclusive.
Research also shows us that companies with ethnically diverse executive teams are more innovative and 33 per cent more profitable.
• Review your systems to ensure they don't promote similarity. Develop cultural capability and understanding particularly in relation to interviews, performance reviews and pay negotiations. Be more open to work experience that is different from the norm. Ensure team building activities meet the needs of everyone, not just a dominant group.
• Get to know your colleagues as people first, team mates later. Understand their motivations, their fears and share yours.
• Provide support not judgment. Women's salaries and their likelihood of promotion fall when they became mothers. But pay bias doesn't affect fathers. And if that's not bad enough, mothers also have to deal with being seen as too ambitious or not committed enough.
• If you are in a position of leadership – use it. Be a good example and call out practices and behaviours that aren't fair. Sponsor someone who may not have access to the same opportunities as you. Celebrate successes and role models – they inspire a new generation of leaders.
• Bias is real. Often this comes from a place of fear – a fear of being displaced somehow, a fear of the unknown. Challenge yourself and challenge others when you see biases in action.
We are all parts of a whole. Our individual actions impact society. We all need to do our bit to create a society where we can bring our authentic selves to work because we feel we belong. A society where each of us is truly equal.
