About the researcher
Rita Nasr is a human resources (HR) professional with over 30 years of experience. She has worked across many industries and sectors. Rita deeply understands the challenges of achieving genuine workplace equality for all. As a culturally and racially marginalised (CARM) woman, she has observed these issues firsthand. She has seen how gender equality initiatives often overlook the experiences of diverse employees.
What is this PhD about?
Rita's PhD project is on Intersectional gender equality in the Australian workplace: The impacts of human resource policies and practices. The research asks:
- Are HR managers aware of intersectionality?
- What is their level of awareness, or their “intersectionality sensitivity”?
- How does this change employee experiences in the workplace?
The research focuses on the experiences of CARM women in public sector organisations. This includes looking at the experiences of both managers and employees.
This area of research is important. Gender equality initiatives often fail to consider intersectionality. This leads to persistent inequalities for employees.
The research aims to provide a more accurate and inclusive framework for equality.
Research methods
The study uses a mixed-methods approach. This includes:
- coding gender equality action plans
- analysing survey results
- identifying organisations with high and low intersectionality sensitivity
- interviewing managers and employees
- evaluating intersectional HR policies
- considering how policies shape employee experiences.
Challenges
Challenges in this research project include:
- working with sensitive data
- ensuring privacy
- capturing nuanced intersectional experiences.
Opportunities
Opportunities for this research include:
- contributing to policy reform
- creating practical tools to help workplaces apply intersectionality.
Impact
This research will:
- inform policy development under the Gender Equality Act 2020. It seeks to embed intersectionality into gender equality frameworks.
- provide evidence-based recommendations. These will focus on promoting equality for all.
- build knowledge on applying intersectionality in workplaces. This will offer a model for other jurisdictions.
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