Women in the Labour Force in Australia
Population
- In September 2011, there were 22,696,000 people in Australia.1
- There were approximately 11.3 million women (50.2%) compared with 11.2 million men (49.8%).2
- The life expectancy of Australians is 75 years for women, and 72 years for men. 3
- The population growth in Australia is 2.1%.4
- The fertility rate is 1.8 births per women. 5
Education
- In 2009, women were 55.8% of all enrolled tertiary students.6
- In 2008, women received 55.9% of all tertiary degrees.7
Labour Force
- In April 2012, women were 45.7% of the labour force.8
- 5.3% of the adult women in the labor force were unemployed, compared to 4.9% of adult men. 9
- Women were 54% of professional and technical workers. 10
Women in Management
- In 2002, women were just 8.2% of all board directors; this number barely budged in eight years to 8.4% in 2010.11
- Just five (2.5%) of ASX200 boards have women as chairs. 12
- In 7.0% of ASX200 companies, 25% or more of the board director seats are held by women. 13
- 46% of ASX200 companies have at least one woman board director. 54% did not have any women board directors. 14
- In 2010, only 8% of "key decision maker" roles were held by women. 15
- Women occupy just 4.1% of all line positions. 16
- Women were just 37% of all legislators, senior officials, and managers. 17
Indigenous Australians
- 2.5 % (517,201) of Australia’s resident population were Indigenous People at the last census in 2006.18
- The 2006 Census projected women to be 50.2% of the total Indigenous population in 2006.19
- In 2009, there were 196,500 Indigenous Australians in the labour force. 20
- The labour force participation rate for Indigenous People age 15 and older was 56%.21
- Less than half (48.5%) of Indigenous Australian women participated in the labour force, compared to 62.8% of Indigenous Australian men. 22
Economic and Political Participation
- In 2011, Australian women’s salaries were less than men’s; women made just 64% of what Australian men made. 23
- Australia ranked 23 out of 135 countries on the 2011 Global Gender Gap Index†, down from 21 out of 130 countries in 200.24
- Julia Gillard began serving as the very first woman prime minister of Australia in 2010.25
- In 2012, women held 24.7% of all single or lower parliamentary seats in Australia. 26
- In 2012, women held 29% of upper parliamentary or Senate seats in Australia.27
- Women occupied 23% of all ministerial positions. 28
Legislation and Regulations
- Beginning on January 1, 2011, Australia created a corporate governance code. Companies must comply or explain ("If not, why not?"). 29 The recommendations include:
- Establish and disclose a policy with measurable objectives to achieve gender diversity on the board (including an annual assessment of objectives and progress made). 30
- Disclose mix of skills and diversity the board hopes to achieve. 31
- Disclose the percentage of women employees, women in senior executive positions, women board directors.32
- Diversity is signified by differences in gender, age, ethnicity, and cultural background, among other factors.33
- There is also proposed legislation, proposed on January 3, 2012, that would be set to be established before April 1, 2014 (with disclosure provisions to go into effect beginning April 1, 2013). Should this pass, companies with at least 100 employees will have to: 34
- Publicly disclose gender equality indicators, such as the composition of the board of directors; 35
- Report must be signed by company CEO; 36
- Companies falling below the minimum standard and failing to improve during the next two-year reporting period without reasonable excuse will be considered non-compliant; 37
- The Workplace Gender Equality Agency will issue a biennial report on the progress toward gender equality beginning in 2016.38
- Should companies not comply with the proposed legislation, after being given notice and a chance to respond, companies may be publicly named by the government and may become ineligible to compete for government contracts or grants and financial assistance. 39
Work-Life in Australia
- The average age for marriage of women is 30 years. 40
- Both women and men can access paid parental leave (government funded), which began January 1, 2011. Up to 18 weeks are paid at the national minimum wage. This leave can be transferred to either parent.41
- In addition, adoptive parents can also utilize up to 18 weeks paid parental leave, which can be taken anytime within the first year after adoption. This leave, like parental leave, can be transferred to either parent. 42
†The Global Gender Gap Index is measured by the World Economic Forum. In 2011, it ranked 135 countries on the size of their gender gap between women and men in four areas: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, political empowerment, and health and survival.
SOURCES
1 Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Demographic Statistics, 3101.0, September Quarter 2011 (2012).
2 Australian Bureau of Statistics, "Table 4: Estimated Resident Population," Australian Demographic Statistics, 3101.0, September Quarter 2011 (2012).
3 Ricardo Hausmann, Laura D. Tyson, and Saadia Zahidi, The Global Gender Gap Report 2011 (World Economic Forum, 2011).
4 Ricardo Hausmann, Laura D. Tyson, and Saadia Zahidi, The Global Gender Gap Report 2011 (World Economic Forum, 2011).
5 Ricardo Hausmann, Laura D. Tyson, and Saadia Zahidi, The Global Gender Gap Report 2011 (World Economic Forum, 2011).
6 World Bank, "Enrolment in Total Tertiary, Public and Private, Full and Part-Time, Female," Ed Stats (2012). World Bank, "Enrolment in Total Tertiary, Public and Private, Full and Part-Time, Total," Ed Stats (2012).
7 World Bank, "Total Graduates in All Programmes, Tertiary, Female," Ed Stats (2012). World Bank, "Total Graduates in All Programmes, Tertiary, Total," Ed Stats (2012).
8 Australian Bureau of Statistics, "Table 1," 6202.0 - Labour Force, Australia, April 2012 (2012).
9 Australian Bureau of Statistics, "Table 1," 6202.0 - Labour Force, Australia, April 2012 (2012).
10 Ricardo Hausmann, Laura D. Tyson, and Saadia Zahidi, The Global Gender Gap Report 2011 (World Economic Forum, 2011).
11 EOWA, Australian Census of Women in Leadership 2010 (2010).
12 EOWA, Australian Census of Women in Leadership 2010 (2010).
13 EOWA, Australian Census of Women in Leadership 2010 (2010).
14 EOWA, Australian Census of Women in Leadership 2010 (2010).
15 EOWA, Australian Census of Women in Leadership 2010 (2010).
16 EOWA, Australian Census of Women in Leadership 2010 (2010).
17 Ricardo Hausmann, Laura D. Tyson, and Saadia Zahidi, The Global Gender Gap Report 2011 (World Economic Forum, 2011).
18 Australian Bureau of Statistics, "4705.0 - Population Distribution, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2006" (2006).
19 Australian Bureau of Statistics, "Table 5.1," 3238.0 - Experimental Estimates and Projections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 1991 to 2009 (June 2006).
20 Australian Bureau of Statistics, "Summary of Findings," Labour Force Characteristics of Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander Australians 2009 (2010).
21 Australian Bureau of Statistics, "Summary of Findings," Labour Force Characteristics of Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander Australians 2009 (2010).
22 Australian Bureau of Statistics, "Table 1," Labour Force Characteristics of Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander Australians 2009 (2010).
23 Ricardo Hausmann, Laura D. Tyson, and Saadia Zahidi, The Global Gender Gap Report 2011 (World Economic Forum, 2011).
24 Ricardo Hausmann, Laura D. Tyson, and Saadia Zahidi, The Global Gender Gap Report 2011 (World Economic Forum, 2011).
25 National Archives of Australia, "Australia’s PMs" (2012).
26 Inter-Parliamentary Union, "Women in National Parliaments" (March 31, 2012).
27 Inter-Parliamentary Union, "Women in National Parliaments" (March 31, 2012).
28 Ricardo Hausmann, Laura D. Tyson, and Saadia Zahidi, The Global Gender Gap Report 2011 (World Economic Forum, 2011).
29 ASX Corporate Governance Council, "Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations with 2010 Amendments 2nd Ed." (June 30, 2010).
30 ASX Corporate Governance Council, "Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations with 2010 Amendments 2nd Ed." (June 30, 2010).
31 ASX Corporate Governance Council, "Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations with 2010 Amendments 2nd Ed." (June 30, 2010).
32 ASX Corporate Governance Council, "Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations with 2010 Amendments 2nd Ed." (June 30, 2010).
33 ASX Corporate Governance Council, "Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations with 2010 Amendments 2nd Ed." (June 30, 2010).
34 House of Representatives of Australia, "Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Amendment Bill 2012" (January 3, 2012). Helen Conway, "Gender in the Workplace – The Journey to Equality" (lecture, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, March 19, 2012); Parliament of Australia, "Bills of the Current Parliament, Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Amendment Bill 2012."
35 House of Representatives of Australia, "Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Amendment Bill 2012" (January 3, 2012). Helen Conway, "Gender in the Workplace – The Journey to Equality" (lecture, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, March 19, 2012); Parliament of Australia, "Bills of the Current Parliament, Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Amendment Bill 2012."
36 House of Representatives of Australia, "Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Amendment Bill 2012" (January 3, 2012). Helen Conway, "Gender in the Workplace – The Journey to Equality" (lecture, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, March 19, 2012); Parliament of Australia, "Bills of the Current Parliament, Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Amendment Bill 2012."
37 House of Representatives of Australia, "Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Amendment Bill 2012" (January 3, 2012). Helen Conway, "Gender in the Workplace – The Journey to Equality" (lecture, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, March 19, 2012); Parliament of Australia, "Bills of the Current Parliament, Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Amendment Bill 2012."
38 House of Representatives of Australia, "Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Amendment Bill 2012" (January 3, 2012). Helen Conway, "Gender in the Workplace – The Journey to Equality" (lecture, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, March 19, 2012); Parliament of Australia, "Bills of the Current Parliament, Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Amendment Bill 2012."
39 House of Representatives of Australia, "Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Amendment Bill 2012" (January 3, 2012). Helen Conway, "Gender in the Workplace – The Journey to Equality" (lecture, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, March 19, 2012); Parliament of Australia, "Bills of the Current Parliament, Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Amendment Bill 2012."
40 Ricardo Hausmann, Laura D. Tyson, and Saadia Zahidi, The Global Gender Gap Report 2011 (World Economic Forum, 2011).
41 Australian Government. Family Assistance Office. "Paid Parental Leave Scheme for Working Parents" (2011).
42 Australian Government. Family Assistance Office. "Paid Parental Leave Scheme for Working Parents" (2011).
UPDATED May 10, 2012
