Opinion : Are some more equal than others?: Imagining Gender Parity

By Gracia Mukiibi | AMA contributor

I often wonder what it would be like to live in a world of genuine gender parity. More importantly, I ask whether women are doing enough to empower one another.

Patriarchal attitudes remain deeply rooted in many societies. In some parts of the world, women are denied identity, status and opportunity; historically, they have often been treated as inferior or expected to be servile. Western societies have challenged many of these views, but inequality has not disappeared. In Australia, gender equality may be widely accepted in principle, yet it is still not fully realised in practice.

Where I come from, women—particularly those without access to education—are often treated as second-class citizens. Moving to Australia broadened my perspective and gave me a platform to pursue my ambitions. It also strengthened my resolve to challenge the narrow expectations and stereotypes imposed on women.

The Gender Pay Gap

Australia has made important progress, but much remains to be done before gender equality is achieved. Women have held the office of Prime Minister and serve in Parliament, yet men continue to outnumber them in positions of power.

George Orwell’s Animal Farm offers a telling reminder: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Although equal-pay legislation was introduced in Australia in the 1970s, gender-based differences in earnings persist. I once read that women in full-time paid work earned relatively less than men—an estimated $1 million (in some cases more) difference over a lifetime.

Australia compares favourably with many countries, but relative progress should not make us complacent. The remaining inequality still demands attention and action and we all have a role to play.

The Illusion of a Shared Blanket

Yet, as I settle deeper into the Australian landscape, I am forced to confront a more uncomfortable layer of Orwell’s truth. If women as a collective are lagging behind men, where do African Australian women stand? The truth is, the banner of “sisterhood” often assumes a uniformity that does not exist. While the mainstream conversation focuses heavily on breaking the glass ceiling, many African Australian women are still struggling to get onto the floor.

When we talk about the gender pay gap or corporate glass ceilings, we are often looking at data that treats “women” as a single, homogenous group. But inequality does not operate in a vacuum. For African Australian women, gender inequality intersects heavily with racial bias, creating a compounded disadvantage. 

It becomes clear that the progress we celebrate is unevenly distributed. A mainstream corporate feminist movement that only champions the advancement of white, Anglo-Celtic women inadvertently leaves its most vulnerable sisters behind.

True Parity Demands Intersectionality

If we are to truly answer the question of whether women are doing enough to empower one another, we must look at who is being invited to the table. True gender parity cannot be achieved by simply substituting men with women who look, speak, and share the exact same socio-economic backgrounds as those men. We must consider an intersectional approach—one that actively pulls down the systemic, racialised barriers that hold back African Australian in the workplace. 

Moving to Australia gave me a platform, but it also gave me a mirror. It showed me that the fight for equality is far more nuanced than a simple battle between genders. If we want a world of genuine parity, we must ensure that our feminism is inclusive. We must actively create and sponsor clear paths for women whose voices have been systematically quietened. Until the progress of all women is championed equally, we are merely rearranging the hierarchy of who gets to be “more equal” than the rest.End

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Gracia Mukiibi| is a Pastor, Principal Consultant, Author, Human Rights Advocate based in Perth, WA, Australia