It’s the Australian Paradox. In terms of women’s educational attainment, no country does better, according to the World Economic Forum. But when it comes to women’s participation in the economy, this nation of 26 million ranks 70th on the WEF’s list — behind Kazakhstan, Serbia and Zimbabwe. As recently as 2006 it sat at No. 12.
Political and economic life here is dominated by men to an even greater degree than in the United States, the United Kingdom or Canada — Australia’s cultural kin. And Down Under, as elsewhere, the pandemic is making inequality of all kinds even worse.
Four years after #MeToo shook American power centers from Wall Street to Hollywood, Australia is trying to play catch-up. In September, the government formally adopted six recommendations from the Australian Human Rights Commission aimed at reducing workplace harassment. Equality advocates wanted 55.