Waltzing Matildas: How is Australia faring on gender equality?
No country or community has achieved gender equality, including Australia. Estimates are that it will take 300 years before men and women are treated equally in public and private life worldwide.
At the United Nations, we are not only dealing with countries which have been slow to advance gender equality, we are now confronted by countries actively backtracking on women’s rights. The backlash is real.
But, there are also powerful changes underway. Significant markers — such as the Women’s World Cup and the ‘Matilda Effect’* — show we can change hearts and minds when it comes to gender equality,
This is not women’s problem: this is everybody’s business.
Natasha Stott Despoja AO is an Australian politician, diplomat, gender equality advocate and author.
Natasha is a former Senator, political party leader and Ambassador. She is a Professor in the Practice of Politics at ANU.
In 2020, Natasha was elected by the General Assembly of the United Nations as a member of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
Natasha was the founding Chair of Our Watch (2013-2021), and served as Australia’s Global Ambassador for Women and Girls (2013-2016), working to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment around the world.
Natasha is a Principal at Deloitte and currently serves as a non-executive Director of The Australian Ballet, Global Citizen and Carrie’s Beanies for Brain Cancer. She is also a member of the Broad Agenda 50:50 by 2030 Advisory Group and the George Washington Global Women’s Leadership Council.
