Twelve Macquarie Business School students were among guests at an International Women’s Day event that saw the United States Ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, and Macquarie Group Managing Director and CEO, Shemara Wikramanayake, discuss key issues such as gender equity, and the systems and structures needed to support it.

Our business students, ranging from second to final year, were invited by Macquarie Group to join others from the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney at the event held at Macquarie’s global headquarters in Sydney.

Third year Bachelor of Commerce with a degree in Bachelor of Laws student, Rachel Duong, was at the event and said, “Ambassador Kennedy and Ms Wikramanayake highlighted the need for businesses to have a good understanding of how to incorporate gender equity into the workplace through roles from bottom to top. One initiative Macquarie Group has taken, for example, is to allow both parents to access parental leave, supporting employees who want to spend time raising children whilst their partner spends time building their career.”

The talk also included a discussion about the role of education in ensuring women are represented in future-focused areas.

“Often women entering their careers have misbeliefs about their potential, and that affects their confidence in applying for positions that are suited to their individual strengths. Education and exposure to future-focused roles support the advancement of gender equity, by helping young women feel empowered to go after all types of roles – from high-level management, STEM or political positions and more,” Duong summarised from the discussion.

One question from the audience emphasised the importance of men as allies of gender equity progression. Reflecting on this, Duong said, “I liked this question because often conversations about gender equality and equity separate men from women and it is often forgotten that it is not just women working towards this, but men as well. This question encouraged me to think of ways that men and women on the board of directors, and in the workplace, can collaborate to develop gender equity that considers the operation and progression of modern society.”

The main take away for Duong was the power of mentorship. “Mentorship is the key to upleveling in your career and mentoring should continue to be an ever-changing process. At every step of your career, there will be mental barriers that stop you from progressing to the role you want to step into. A mentor at whatever stage in your career will help see and make the necessary changes to reach your goals because they have been there and overcome the same hurdles. My take away was that once I am successful, I then have a responsibility to be a role model for younger women to show them that they can achieve everything they want too,” explained Duong.

“Macquarie University, and the business school in particular, has supported me with this. I participated in the Lucy Mentoring program, which empowers women and gender diverse students to develop relationships with executives from industry. I also had the opportunity to speak at the Kickstart week last month, to welcome the incoming business school students and develop my presentation skills in front of a large audience. I have been fortunate to attend the vast variety of events coordinated by Macquarie University and their industry partners, which has shaped how I think about my career. I can now look to the future with confidence, and work towards improving gender equity in the firms and corporations in which I choose to work.”