Knowledge@ASB: Gender Mender

Australia's first female prime minister Julia Gillard may not have set out to crash her "head on any glass ceilings", as she told the media immediately after being elected leader. But the historic moment when Australia's first woman governor general, Quentin Bryce, swore Gillard into office on 24 June was viewed as an iconic breakthrough in gender equality. In the corporate world, Australia has a "dire" track record for putting women into top jobs, according to sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick. However, signs of change are clearly afoot. Programs aimed at promoting women into senior roles in corporations recently have found the support of some big business heavy hitters. And the first half of 2010 has delivered a shift in the number of women on Australian boards, creating high hopes that women in senior roles may finally be getting even.