b'BACK TO NAVIGATIONBenefits of Gender Equality Improving gender equality boosts the productivity and performance of organisations and the economy by helping to build stronger societies, economies, businesses and individuals. Research released in June 2020 by the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) found that an increase in the share of female top-tier managers by ten percentage points or more led to a 6.6 per cent increase in the market value of Australian ASX-listed companies, worth the equivalent of AUD$104.7 million. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency has documented a range of organisational benefits of gender equality and the Grattan Institute has calculated that removing barriers for women to enter the workforce could boost the Australian economy by around $25 billion per year.Legal Sector ResponsesState and national legal societies and other bodies are showing significant leadership in gender equality, and in 2022, six out of seven serving law society presidents are women.In September 2021 the NSW Law Society was joined by the Law Institute of Institute of Victoria and the Law Society of Western Australia to the Charter for the Advancement of Women in the Legal Profession, and provided guidelines to provide examples of practice to fulfil the charters commitments. State law societies and law firms support the Law Council of Australias commitments, targets and programs, including the Diversity and Equality Charter and Equitable Briefing Policy. The Policy includes interim and long-term targets with the objective of briefing women in at least thirty per cent of all matters and paying them 30 per cent of the value of all brief fees by 2020. The Law Councils 2018-19 survey of performance against this policy was 27 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively.This year the NSW Law Society also launched a Sexual Harassment in the Law portal that provides information and training to solicitors along with resources to seek assistance and avenues to report complaints.Corporate Australia, however, is changing. Between 2016 and 2020, the number of women on the Boards of ASX200-listed companies grew from 7.4 per cent to 30 per cent, with only nine companies in this group continuing to have all-male boards. As of November 2021, the percentage of women on ASX 200 boards is 34.2 per cent, women comprised 41.8 per cent of new appointments and there are now no boards in the ASX 200 without female members.INITIATIVES DCA major sponsor 10% Board Links Champion 10% Male Champion of Change 20% Women on Boards 25% Showcasing gender diversity experiences 35% LCA Diversity and Inclusion Charter 40% Pay Equity Ambassador 45%GENDER PROFILELSNSW Charter - Advancement of Women 48%FEMALE PARTNERS FEMALE LAWYERSEmployer of Choice for Gender Equality 53%FEMALE NON LEGAL SENIOR FEMALE PROMSEquitable briefing pledge (e.g. CommBar/LCA) 60%79Gender-sensitive promotion and recruitment 65%57 59Equal pay controls 65% Host or lead external programs and/or forums 68%32Female advancement, mentoring and coaching 73% Training - Gender awareness unconscious bias 75% Internal D&I networks or committees 85% International Womens Day 98%Proportion % Participation 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%21'