Goulburn-Murray Water’s Vaishnavi ‘Navi' Gore is leading the way when it comes to accelerating women’s equality.
Ms Gore is pursuing a career in a traditionally male-dominated field and chairing GMW’s Empowering Women in Water Network, which supports women to achieve their full potential within the workplace.
Ms Gore joined G-MW in 2021 as a graduate electrical engineer. It was a career path she was determined to pursue despite it being one few women followed.
“It was just something I knew I had to do,” Ms Gore said.
“My parents were both teachers and would often get us electrical toys that we would assemble, so I’ve always had a love of electronics.”
Ms Gore moved from India to Melbourne in 2019 to complete a Master of Advanced Electrical Engineering.
It could have easily been an isolating experience for Ms Gore, being in a new country, and enrolling in a course with just five women. However, she and some of the other women in the course formed a network to help support each other.
“It was really great. We would meet and encourage each other, ask questions, debate ideas, and help each other apply for positions and overcome the fear of not being good enough for the job,” Ms Gore said.
“Since graduating, I have almost always been the only woman on the team. I have been fortunate my colleagues have usually looked to make me feel comfortable, but having greater gender diversity in the field would make a huge difference.
“Equal pay and equal opportunity for women to grow in their careers are crucial to achieving this.
“It is also important that workplaces are inclusive, and that staff are educated on conscious and unconscious bias.
“Support networks are also a great way of helping new employees settle in, particularly in regional settings.”
Ms Gore was pleased to find such a network at G-MW.
“As soon as I arrived, I looked for a network to join, and I’ve always been passionate about women’s equality, so I was excited to see there was the Empowering Women in Water Network,” she said.
The network will be celebrating International Women’s Day on Wednesday, March 8, having reached significant milestones in recent months.
It initiated a review that has ensured G-MW supplies personal protective equipment to fit women as well as men, and also successfully lobbied for breastfeeding facilities, which have been established in the Casey St office in Tatura.
The network also offers opportunities for personal development for its members, with Ms Gore attending the Women in Leadership summit.
“The network’s a fantastic support to its members and has already achieved a lot to make life fairer for women in the workplace,” Ms Gore said.
“We have a lot more planned for 2023 too, so it’s an exciting time to be part of the group.”