Equality and diversity discourse: A cross-sectoral comparison of organizations in Australia

It has been acknowledged that gender discourse in organizations has shifted from Affirmative Action (AA), to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), onto Diversity Management (Edelman, Fuller and Mara-Drita 2001; Kelly and Dobbin 1998; Liff 1999; Sinclair 2000; Smithson and Stockoe 2005; Strachan Burgess and Sullivan 2004). Edelman et al. (2001), conceptualise this shift as the ‘managerialisation of law’ whereby the rise of diversity rhetoric occurs in tandem with a decline in the popularity of the legally driven principles of AA and EEO, creating a ‘see-saw effect’ (Bacchi 2000). Although this was demonstrated to have occurred in the professional management literature, Edelman, et al., (2001) acknowledge they did not investigate the extent to which this ‘managerialisation’ occurs in organizations. This paper discusses the findings of an ongoing study into gender discourse across different sectors of the economy under Australia’s EEO regulatory framework. It will be argued that although diversity management may have risen in importance, particularly in the private sector, it does not necessarily dominate discourses of gender equity. This necessitates a contextual understanding of how organisations ‘managerialise’ law and the effect this may have on gender equity outcomes.