Job Segregation, Industrialisation and the Non-Discrimination Principle

Abstract

While the long-term prospects for industrial growth in Australia promise improved employment opportunities for skilled male workers, despite the present cyclical downturn, the prognosis for women is gloomy. The majority of women workers are confined to female-dominated occupations, such as clerical work and sales. However, it is in these very areas that employment prospects have diminished as a result of technological change, as may be seen by the computerisation of office work, for example. Australia's industrial future is intimately tied up with mining, construction and power generation, industries in which female participation is almost negligible. This reflects the societal bias against women working in what are perceived to be ‘men's jobs’. This societal bias has been entrenched in International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions and legislation which has resulted in restrictions on female labour relating to categories of employment, such as underground mining. While a certain ambivalence may be discerned in the motivations prompting the implementation of ‘protective’ measures, their retention is undoubtedly questionable in the light of the passage of anti-discrimination legislation. Therefore, new standards need to be devised to safeguard the health of all workers without disadvantaging one sector of the workforce.