THE value of women in the rural sector is being more widely recognised, but the world of recruitment and networking needs to change to make the most of that.
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That’s the view of award-winning businesswoman Isobel Knight, who spoke ahead of the UN International Day of Rural Women on October 15.
She said society must stop paying “lip service” to diversity, and implement new ways of ensuring it.
The Tamworth area resident won the 2013 NSW-ACT RIRDC Rural Women's Award. Her company ProAgtive helps family businesses plan for succession, and she’s also a partner in a farming business.
Mrs Knight said diversity greatly benefited organisations, but “to include women in these arenas means we’re going to have to do things differently”. She said that might mean actively seeking out accomplished women.
“They’re not likely to stand up on a soapbox and wave their arms and say ‘pick me, pick me’. They’re often not even found because they're not being looked for.”
Mrs Knight said she was “not totally in favour in quotas” as a way of creating diversity in a workforce.
“I believe in the best person for the job, but I believe quotas may end up having to be implemented because companies are not seeking out women,” she said.
“Even if they find a good person for the job, if they don’t have diversity in the organisation they’re missing out on being the best they can be.
“It’s a proven point that diversity makes an enormously positive difference and contribution, and gender is one of those areas of diversity.”
Mrs Knight said many women “juggle many things” – raising children, employment, running or supporting family businesses – and did not have time for the “blokey way” of networking, negotiation and decision-making in the world of business, leadership and policy.
“We’re going to have to think about how we can network ... in a way that includes women, not in a blokey way,” she said.
“The last thing I could ever have done was get my golf handicap down: I just didn't have the time with three children, this business (ProAgtive) and trying to grow our own farm business.”
Mrs Knight said change would require the will of women and men.
“Men are going to have to decide they need women in the organisation to a greater degree,” she said.
“Women can bump on about it all they like, but it’s going to take men to champion it.”
