AGEISM cuts both ways and the gender wars are far from over, with new data showing that nearly all young female leaders think they would face fewer barriers and stay in the workforce longer if they were men.
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Given the amount of work done in Australia to raise awareness about the benefits of diversity and flexible work practices for both the bottom line and employee wellbeing, the figures are concerning.
"It suggests that there is a problem," Ainslie Van Onselen, Westpac's head of inclusion and diversity, said of the result of the Westpac Women of Influence Report, which found 96 per cent of female leaders between the ages of 18 and 34 see sex discrimination as a problem.
"I was really surprised by the research."
The report polled nearly 1200 women and more than 500 men, earning more than $85,000 a year, in senior leadership positions with responsibility for business performance or managing a team.
Of the Gen Y respondents, 41 per cent believe they are more likely to experience ageism through either lower pay than their older peers or missing out on pay rises (27 per cent).
One in three say they are given fewer training and development opportunities because of their youth.
Westpac uses formal and informal mentoring programs and enterprisewide initiatives
such as the Youth Network employee action group to help combat any feeling among
Gen Y workers that their older peers aren't sharing knowledge or developing talent.
As well, half of all graduates and participants in the bank's high-potential talent programs
must be female, a requirement that helps combat traditional barriers in the pipeline for female talent.
Sony Foundation chief executive and Women of Influence 2012 Young Leader Sophie Ryan said she had some experience of the issue working as a 25-year-old with the United Nations on prison reform in the Sudan.
"I had an all-male prison staff team, and definitely when I walked into the prison on that first day, I was judged purely on my age and because I was female. I was in the minority and made to feel it."
She said though it was intimidating and confronting, people in those situations needed to have confidence in themselves.
"It came down to believing that I had been sent there because my boss believed I was the right person and capable of doing the job".
But Ms Ryan, who by coincidence rather than design works with an all-female team, said she was shocked to hear so many young women still thought their gender was a barrier to greater success.
"What it actually comes down to is ... respect for the people who are working. At my current workplace that is at the core of what we do, so you're respected for what you bring to the table, you're respected for doing a good job."
The Australian Financial Review/Westpac 100 Women of Influence Awards promote bold and diverse women championing change in business and society. Enter yourself or someone you know in one or more of the 10 categories: local/regional, board/management, innovation, culture, public policy, business enterprise, diversity, young leader, global, social enterprise/not-for-profit.
Entries close August 9. For more information click here