Tackling gender stereotypes in business starts in high school
Published on the 01 August 2025 by ʹڲƱ Business School EDI Team
Some high schoolers spend their holidays sleeping in or hanging out with friends. But not all of them. This July, more than 100 female-identifying high school students decided to tackle gender stereotypes in business and address systemic issues that could be holding them back.
Issues including parental leave, the gender pay gap and supportive transition from study to work frameworks were all explored at the culmination of three days of exploration, discovery and empowerment at ʹڲƱ Business School’s 7th annual Girls in Business (GIB) camp.
Designed for female-identifying high school students in years 10 – 12, the GIB Camp offers an opportunity for participants to explore the potential of a degree in business. And that there’s space for them to design their own career and future.
But you can’t be what you can’t see. And that’s something that GIB Camp organiser Rhiannon Tout, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Project Officer at ʹڲƱ Business School, is trying to change.
“We deliberately structured the camp to show the students the more human side of business, and that women are not just succeeding, but thriving in male-dominated fields such as finance and economics.
We want to equip them with the knowledge to follow their own passions and stop limiting themselves to what they think a career in business means and instead provide them with the opportunities to see for themselves where a business career can take them,” she says.
Design, debunk, demystify – three days of discovery
Many students don’t know what a business degree entails – let alone the future careers they could unlock.
The GIB Camp sheds light on what they can learn in Banking and Finance,Economics,Information Systems and Technology Management,Risk and Actuarial Studies at university and how a business degree doesn’t put your career into a ٳٱdzٲ辱’ box.
Set around the theme Design, Debunk, Demystify, the camp aims to give students the tools to:
- Design a future with intention, not pressure
- Debunk outdated beliefs about women and success
- Demystify what business, life, and work really look like — especially in a digital and AI-powered world
Demystify a future career in business
After a series of interactive workshops, Q&A sessions and an alumni panel, the 2025 GIB participants were starting to see that their possibilities are endless; some of which in careers or organisation they had never considered before.
“There are some students here who already know they want to take the finance degree path, for example, but they don’t want to be an investment banker. This is the perfect place for them to explore and be inspired,” says Jeeviha Sangar, ʹڲƱ Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Economics student and Women in Business Ambassador.
After learning more about the different business degree streams, on Day 2 it was time to take their learning to the next level, by providing a real-life context.
Industry site visits to the Sydney offices of,,,,, andBank gave the participants some practical, real-world experience that they could logically apply the academic concepts they had leant on Day 1.
The visits expanded their outlook on what these companies actually did from a business structure and how an organisation is made up‘many parts’and not just their primary purpose.
“A bank is not just a bank. They have a HR team, a sales and marketing team, a software and technology department, and risk and insurance teams etc. The GIB Camp isn’t about just telling participants that if you study finance you can work in a bank, it’s about showing them that any business no matter what industry, has all the different disciplines and components of a business degree,” says Rhiannon.
Kathleen Ong, ʹڲƱ Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Information Systems student and Women in Business Ambassador, also commented that, “when we went to NDIS, a lot of the participants had no idea what the discipline of risk and actuarial was actually about, not many people do.”
“But when they were given a scenario about implementing a new scheme into the program and had to estimate the costs, they began to grasp the real-world relevance of actuarial thinking. It helped demystify the discipline and show how data, uncertainty, and financial forecasting play a crucial role in shaping sustainable and inclusive programs.”
It was an opportunity for the students to see the human side to a profession that can be very analytical, and to challenge assumptions that a specialised business degree could only take them down one career path.
Support to design a future in business
It’s never too early to start building a strong network of industry connections and role models. This is another key takeaway from the camp. And it’s something this generation of tech-savvy students is poised to master.
“They’re walking away having met some potential future employers, as well as mentors who can support and guide them. Many of them have already connected with ʹڲƱ academics, student ambassadors and industry partners on LinkedIn,” says Yuanhong (Amy) Wang, Bachelor of Commerce and Information Systems and Women in Business Ambassador.
Letting the GIB participants know that there are people in the industry who want to support them, is one of the reasons keynote speaker and entrepreneur Azure Antionette, CEO of Teller Ventures Ltd, wanted to be involved in the camp.
“The model and the main pillar of GIB is to set students up with the ability for longstanding application. They have the ability. They have the drive. I am hopeful that we’ve now got a new set of young women that we can shepherd and be there for in their lives and careers,” Azure says.
Building a community of women who support and uplift each other from as early as high school will also help them break the societal stereotypes that hold them back.
“There is a view that there’s competitiveness among women in fields where women are underrepresented. Whereas it’s great to see the connection and friendship between the participants and our industry partners, and a genuine desire to see others succeed,” reflects Isabelle Sill, ʹڲƱ Bachelor of Commerce student and Women in Business Ambassador.
Debunkthe myths and reshape the future
And this desire was brought to the forefront on the final day of the camp, where students were challenged to design their own career ecosystem that supports young women transitioning from education to employment, during the Day 3 Case Competition.
Ideas that were workshopped and presented included:
- Networking apps that matched industry mentors with university students for reciprocal partnerships and growth.
- Training programs that empower young women with skills in financial literacy and confidence in pay negotiations.
- And the winning idea of tackling the issue of unbalanced parental leave and the gender pay gap within our current expectations on “maternity vs paternity leave”.
Among so many other incredible and insightful ideas that showcased that these young future leaders can already identify some of the societal systemic issues that need to be address if women are to succeed.
“If we encourage women to take maternity leave, but we don't encourage men to take paternity leave, this is going to reinforce the outdated stereotypes that caregiving isjusta woman's job.
We need stronger and more accessible paternity leave and more affordable childcare, so fathers are not only encouraged, but expected to take their share of leave and share the responsibility of raising a child in our modern society,” explained one GIB Participant.
By looking at how broader economic forces shape women’s career experiences, students used their knowledge from the camp to inform their solution. And the judges were blown away.
"To hear how you’ve been able to articulate both the challenges that we as women are facing, but the solutions to the problems, is incredibly inspiring,” said , competition judge and Founder and Managing Director of Ultimate Edge Communications.
“The young women in the room are the future of that change. You have the opportunity to make an impact and hearing your ideas was incredible."
Now What?! – future proofing or future planning?
The GIB Camp aims to provide more than practical knowledge about future study plans. It’s all about equipping young women with the confidence to shape their own professional futures and help other women along the way.
Students have seen real women in finance, economics and tech who are making an impact and are thriving in their fields. And these insights will form their foundation for making deliberate career choices post-high school.
The power to choose their path? They've had it all along. The GIB Camp just illuminated the road ahead. And we can’t wait to see what happens next.
To learn more about the ʹڲƱ Business School Girls in Business Camp, please click here.
Want to get involved in the 2026 GIB Camp experience, please reach out to the ʹڲƱ Business School EDI team at: BUSEDI@unsw.edu.au