The Future Of Gender Equity

Joanne Lockwood is joined by Valentina Jaramillo to discuss what the future of gender equity should look like when it moves beyond a strict women-versus-men framing. Valentina explains key distinctions between sex assigned at birth, gender identity, and gender expression, and shares why gender equity must include nonbinary, agender, and gender nonconforming people rather than leaving them out of workplace strategies, data, and programmes.

The conversation explores practical barriers that show up in everyday working life, from resistance to using they/them pronouns to the ways people are pushed back into binary assumptions. Joanne and Valentina also unpack why inclusive language matters, what it can look like in practice, and why organisations need to build environments where people can be respected without having to repeatedly justify their identity.

They examine organisational responsibilities in more depth, including gathering better data, building inclusive policies, and addressing areas such as pay transparency and equitable pay across genders. Valentina also highlights the importance of thoughtful facilities provision, including access to gender-neutral restrooms, and discusses how gendered language in policies and benefits (for example, around reproductive health) can unintentionally exclude.

Finally, Joanne and Valentina look at performative corporate support during Pride, the difference between rainbow washing and sustained action, and what authentic allyship looks like across the year. The episode closes with a call for organisations to keep learning, have the conversations even when it feels uncomfortable, and commit to meaningful change rather than checkbox inclusion.