Overcoming 'administrative man'? Redoing gender in Australian public services

In the last decade, policymakers in many Western countries have recognised that progress towards gender equality has slowed. Governments have therefore refocused efforts towards achieving gender equality, including for their own workforces. We examine the gendering processes within public sectors in Australia, examining how the formal processes are gendered and ‘administrative man’ continues to perpetuate gender norms. The chapter examines: formal processes at the macro level, focusing on regulating for public sector gender equality; human resource processes, which occur at the organisational level; and the individual implementation of gender equality initiatives, at the managerial level. We argue that unless gender is ‘redone’ at each of these levels then gender equality will not be achieved. We conclude by suggesting approaches that governments can adopt to dismantle structural inequalities, which can undo gender and lead to gender equitable public sectors.