Order of Australia honours list skewed towards men, council says

The Council of the Order of Australia has expressed concern after nearly three-quarters of this year’s Order of Australia awards went to men, with 680 Australians recognised — 496 men and 184 women.

In a statement the council said: “The gender balance of this year’s honours list more broadly is both a cause for concern and, the council hopes, a prompt for community action.” It added: “There is no doubt there are as many outstanding women contributing to our communities as there are men … the council would like to see this balance reflected across all nominations and, therefore, outcomes at all levels of award.”

The council noted that “many more” nominations for men are being received than for women and reminded the public that honours are the result of nominations and “anyone can nominate a worthy Australian for recognition.”

It urged Australians to identify both women and men who make a difference and nominate them so they can be celebrated through the Order of Australia. The statement did not set out specific changes to the nominations process.

Key Topics

Culture, Honours List, Gender Imbalance, Nominations, Australia