Diversity Council flags up discrimination against men
Diversity Council Australia (DCA) is promoting flexible working hours for men in the run up to International Men’s Day on Friday 19 November 2021.
According to a recent report published by the council, men who work flexible hours experience more discrimination and harassment at work than female flex works. The DCA says its latest research shows that the “stigma of males using flex options prevails in 2021”.
For women, there are small differences in the levels of discrimination experienced by female workers using flex and those not, says the DCA. However, male workers using flex report significantly more experience with discrimination and/or harassment at work compared to male workers not using flex options, as well as compared to female workers using flex and those not.
Almost one in three (31%) of male workers accessing flex report experiencing any form of discrimination and/or harassment in the last 12 months, compared to 19% of males not accessing flex options, according to the report.
The levels of discrimination and/or harassment are higher still for male carers who access flexible work. Among men who work flex in order to balance their caring responsibilities (e.g. for family members), almost one in two (48%) male carers accessing flex witnessed and/or experienced discrimination and/or harassment in the last 12 months, compared to 28% of male workers accessing flex without caring responsibilities.
In the run up to International Men’s Day 2021, the DCA is raising awareness of the problem in line of the six key objectives of the day, to “tackle discrimination and disadvantage”. It is also encouraging people to address issues around men and flex in the workplace via its website.
For more information about International Men's Day 2021 see: www.internationalmensday.info
READ THE REPORT: Diversity Council Australia, Inclusion@Work Index: Mapping the State of Flex in the Australian Workforce, Sydney, Diversity Council Australia, 2021