What we are trying to achieve

Focus for the Year

The primary focus for the year is to raise awareness of the opportunities for, benefits of, and the need for increasing the participation of women in leadership and management roles within local government, inclusive of both elected representatives and paid personnel.Your browser may not support display of this image.

It is critical that the Year of Women in Local Government provides a focus for real and sustained change that extends well beyond 2010.

The Year of Women in Local Government 2010 must address the need for systemic and cultural change while supporting women and building their capacity to thrive in leadership roles.

It is also necessary to recognise and celebrate the success of women who are already playing significant roles.

The year will provide a clear focus and opportunity to build the business case for the increased participation of women and to implement strategies to measure objectively the success of councils in meeting firm targets.

Whilst it is not expected that an equal representation of women and men in local government will happen overnight, the year will be deemed a success if there is demonstration of an increased awareness of the benefits of women in management and leadership positions, together with increasing levels of women participating as elected representatives and managers within the sector.

Objectives

Specific objectives have been established to realise this focus for the Year of Women in Local Government 2010. The objectives of the year are to:

• raise awareness of the significant role women play in the effectiveness and long-term health of local government, and the need to increase their participation. This will be achieved by promoting – through practical examples and dissemination of research – the benefits of increasing the participation of women and embracing gender equity at both elected and executive levels;
• foster commitment to local government becoming an ‘employer of choice’ through advocating for cultural and attitudinal change to remove barriers to the advancement of women;
• encourage councils, through a range of communication channels, to establish targets to:
  • increase the participation of local government women in decision making roles; and
  • increase participation of local government women in management and leadership training and mentoring programs; and
  • establish communication, support and developmental structures that can be readily maintained and that will be available post 2010 to maintain the momentum of the year.