Progress on gender equality at work is slow and uneven, new index finds

Gender equality at work has barely improved over the past ten years, with paid work opportunities held back by women doing the bulk of unpaid work in the home, new research shows.

Stubborn gaps in pay and career progression, alongside deep division between the types of jobs women and men do, are holding back business and the economy, despite decades of efforts by governments, employers and unions.

To help understand and address these gender gaps, the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion at Work^[1] has developed a unique tool to measure and track equality at work.

The first Gender Equality @ Work Index^[2] provides a comprehensive, national snapshot of gender equality at work over ten years.

Our research shows many of the unequal features of the Australian labour market, such as the concentration of men and women in different industries and occupations, have barely shifted in three decades.

Improvement, but at a glacial pace

Measured against seven dimensions to produce a score out of 100, the index shows overall gender equality improved by just three points between 2014 and 2024, from 80 to 83. This is still 17 points from equality.

The seven dimensions go beyond the regular measures of participation and pay to also include:

• hours (in paid and unpaid work)
• security (job stability and income stability)
• stratification (participation in management and leadership roles)
• segmentation (job type across industries and occupations)
• safety.

The index shows where Australia is doing well, and where further investment and innovation will deliver the biggest boost to productivity and performance.

The drivers of gender equality at work are complex. The index provides a rigorous, evidence-based tool that clarifies, measures and tracks the drivers of unequal outcomes in work.

More women move into senior roles

Australian women have higher rates of bachelor-level education^[3] than men but do not fare as well as men in paid work. Women participate at lower rates, and work fewer hours, at lower levels, in less secure jobs and industries, for lower pay and with poorer levels of safety than men.

The first index report reveals women are closest to parity with men in the dimensions of job security (94), participation (92) and pay (92).

The biggest improvement between 2014 and 2024 has been in labour market stratification, rising from an equality score of 77 to 86. This is in part due to women’s increasing employment in senior roles that reflect their education and experience.

The “hours” measure has a score of only 76 because women still do most of the unpaid work at home^[4], limiting their paid work opportunities.

Women also take more parental leave than men, which can put a brake on career progression and limit economic security in older age. The unequal division of unpaid care and domestic work is a major cause of gender inequality in the workplace.

Safety (75) is the only measure in which equality has gone backwards over the last ten years. Women have experienced significantly higher rates of workplace sexual harassment^[5] and psychological injury than men, while men report higher rates of physical injury.

A highly segregated labour market

The major sticking point is Australia’s highly gender-segmented labour market. This dimension had the lowest gender equality score of only 67 – a huge 33 points below equality.

Australia’s workforce is deeply divided along gender lines. More than half of Australian employees work^[6] in an industry dominated by a single gender.

Those employed in “men’s jobs”, such as engineering and construction receive (on average) higher pay and better conditions than those working in “women’s jobs” such as health and education. These tend to be lower paid and of lower quality.

This divide restricts opportunity, reinforces inequality, weakens our overall economic performance^[7] and exposes employers to chronic skills shortages. The more an occupation is dominated by one gender, the more likely it is to face problems filling workforce gaps.

What needs to change to close the gap?

The index results highlight two priority areas for intervention: segmentation and hours.

Lifting the quality of hyper-feminised jobs (such as aged care and childcare) will improve gender equality driven by industry segmentation.

So would enhancing women’s access and experience in male-dominated sectors. Investing in high-quality, flexible work in sectors like construction, engineering and investment banking will support a more gender balanced workforce.

Hyper-masculine sectors must also deliver safe workplaces where women can thrive and succeed free from discrimination and sexual harassment.

Investment and monitoring of policies to support men’s contribution to the care of young children and the elderly are also essential to shifting the dial.

Australia’s paid parental leave system is evolving rapidly, but sticky social norms and unsupportive workplaces mean women continue to do the lion’s share of care and unpaid domestic work^[8]. This is unfair. Men need to take the leave made available to them and enable women to be employed at a level that reflects their education and experience.

Rebalancing the labour market and supporting men to engage in unpaid care and domestic work will push the Gender Equality @ Work Index score closer to 100. It will deliver Australia the gender-equal economy that will maximise participation, productivity and workforce sustainability.

References

1. ^{^} Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion at Work (www.sydney.edu.au)
2. ^{^} Gender Equality @ Work Index (www.sydney.edu.au)
3. ^{^} higher rates of bachelor-level education (www.abs.gov.au)
4. ^{^} unpaid work at home (theconversation.com)
5. ^{^} higher rates of workplace sexual harassment (theconversation.com)
6. ^{^} More than half of Australian employees work (www.agec.org.au)
7. ^{^} weakens our overall economic performance (grattan.edu.au)
8. ^{^} care and unpaid domestic work (theconversation.com)