ELIZABETH SHAW: Biggest risk to gender equality isn’t men, it’s the dilution of gender equality initiatives

The biggest risk to gender equality isn’t backlash from men — it’s the dilution of critical gender equality initiatives to appease naysayers.

Trying to give Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs broader appeal has been a focus for organisations around the world over the last year, following Donald Trump’s executive orders, which sought to wind back “illegal DEI”.

This has involved subtle shifts, like using different language.

It has meant talking about outcomes which are less controversial, such as employee engagement, high performing teams, and safety at work.

And it has meant equipping leaders to be able to explain how DEI enables merit, rather than subverting it.

These are good strategies to meet the moment.

They communicate the same work in a way that connects with a wider audience. And they recognise the importance of emphasising that gender equality efforts don’t just support women, they benefit wider society.

The risk is when the initiatives themselves start to be reframed. Programs become universal, and lose sight of their original purpose.

Targeted action gives way to generic inclusion. Intent is confused. Impact is reduced.

Recently, I spoke with an organisation that re-badged its women’s leadership program as a general leadership program after complaints from male employees.

That program existed for a reason: women are significantly under-represented in senior roles, and it was designed to break down the very barriers that were holding them back.

Another leader spoke at an industry event about their efforts to engage their male workforce, shifting away from targeted programs to initiatives that focused on everyone feeling a sense of belonging.

It is understandable that organisations are grappling with how to respond to backlash from male employees.

Research from King’s College shows a majority of Australian men believe they are now expected to do too much to support gender equality, and that we have gone so far in supporting women’s equality that we are discriminating against men.

While we need to think carefully about how we improve communication and engagement, we cannot afford to change the substance of the work itself.

Fortunately, we have strong guardrails in Australia: mandatory gender pay gap reporting, a positive duty to prevent harassment and discrimination, and a broad acceptance of the business case for gender equality.

Pride in Diversity recently found that most of Australia’s corporate leaders continue to see DEI as critical to business performance, employee wellbeing, and long-term competitiveness.

Despite this, progress is not guaranteed. The global picture is unlikely to improve soon.

Increased defence spending is diverting critical resources from Sustainable Development Goals, including gender equality. Progress has stalled on women’s political participation.

There’s been an alarming rise in violence, threats and deaths of female politicians and human rights activists, with the aim of silencing dissent. An increasing majority of the world’s population is living under autocratic rule.

Critical funding shortages are hampering UN Women’s life-saving and life-changing work. LGBTIQA+ voices face increasing marginalisation.

And 30 years after the Beijing Declaration laid out a roadmap for gender equality, advocates are fighting to protect hard-won gains, particularly in areas of sexual and reproductive health and gender identity.

What the global picture tells us is that without a deliberate focus on the barriers women face, progress doesn’t just stall — it reverses.

Without focused action in Australia, we won’t shift women’s under-representation in leadership.

We won’t close the gender pay gap.

And we won’t create safe, respectful and inclusive workplaces. When I attended the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York last year, the mood around International Women’s Day was anything but celebratory.

This IWD, organisations need to remain vigilant in the face of a regression on women’s rights and resist the temptation to wind back what truly matters.

This means recommitting to targets for female representation — particularly in leadership roles — and ensuring there is real capability and resourcing behind those commitments.

It means leaning into conversations about how men and women might experience the workplace differently and therefore require different approaches to succeed.

And it means implementing targeted strategies to address structural issues, bias, discrimination and harassment in all its forms.

Yes, we should always strive to better explain the “why” to all. But we can’t compromise on the “what” without losing the very essence of what we are trying to achieve.

Elizabeth Shaw leads PwC Australia’s DEI Advisory and is the former president of UN Women Australia