Research

Women in the Workforce: Australia (Quick Take)

Sep 12, 2022

POPULATION

Australia’s Population Is Growing Older

The demographic shift reflects one of the longest life expectancies in the world (82.5 years), combined with a shrinking birth rate.1

The Country’s Population Growth Is Fueled by Immigration

Between the 2006 Census and the 2016 Census, Australia’s overseas-born population grew by 40%.2

In 2018, close to one-third (29%) of Australia’s population were immigrants.3

Australia’s Workforce Is Shrinking as the Population Grows Older

Almost one out of six Australians (or 15% of the total population) were over the age of 65 in 2017. 4

22% of the population is projected to be over 65 years old by 2057.5

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is younger than non-indigenous populations, with an average age of 23 years old in 2016 (as compared to almost 38 years old for non-indigenous peoples).6

  • The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population was 3.3% of the overall Australian population in 2016.7
  • Indigenous women are increasingly participating in the labor force, with their participation rate rising from to 53.9% in 2016, up from 51.1% in 2006.8

EDUCATION

Women Continue to Outnumber Men at Every Level of Higher Education.9

Since 1987, women have remained a majority of students enrolled at universities.10

  • Women accounted for 57.3% of undergraduate degree earners in 2018 and 56.0% of postgraduate degree earners.11
The Labor Market Is Tight for Recent College Graduates

College graduates are finding it harder to find employment, as the number of professional jobs has not kept pace with the increase in graduates over the past decade.12

  • In 2017, 28% of recent graduates looking for full-time work had not found a professional job four months after graduation, up from 15% in early 2008.13

LABOR FORCE

The Labor Force Participation Rate Continues to Be Lower for Women.

Women’s labor force participation rate is 61.1% compared to 71.3% for
men.14

47.0% of all employed people in Australia are women (25.6% working full-time and 21.4% working part-time).15

  • The percentage of men working part-time is growing faster than that of women—from 5% to 18% in the last 40 years.16
Australia Is a Desirable Destination for the Global Workforce17

Immigrant workers account for 40% of the professional workforce in over half of Australia’s industry sectors.18

Women Are Driving Australia’s Employment Growth

Women dominate employment growth overall (both full- and part-time)—women’s employment is growing at a rate nine times faster than the rate for men. But many of these jobs are low-paying and in female-dominated service industries. 19

LEADERSHIP

Women Are Moving Into Management Roles at a Faster Rate Than Men20

Women received close to half (43.8%) of all promotions to management between 2018 and 2019.21

If this progress continues, in two decades women could reach parity in full-time management positions.22

Women in Management23

Key Management Personnel 31.5%
Other Executives/General Managers 32.2%
Senior Managers 36.0%
All Managers 39.4%

Gender equity continues to stall in upper leadership. In 2019 women were or held:

  • 17.1% of CEOs.24
  • 31.5% of KMPs.25
  • 14.1% of chair positions.26
  • 26.8% of directorships.27
  • 29.3% of all board positions.28

PAY GAP

Women’s Earnings Continue to Grow as More Mothers Remain in the Workforce29

Women college graduates earn 27% less than men, which amounts to $750,000 less over the course of their careers.30

The gender wage gap for full-time work in all industries is 20.8%—meaning women earn about AUD$0.79 to every AUD$1.00 men earn.31

The gender pay gap for full-time workers by industry in 2019:

  • Mining: 13.8%.32
  • Financial and insurances services: 29.3%.33
  • Computer system design and related services: 15.3%.34
  • Health care and social assistance: 15.9%.35

GOVERNMENT

Women in Australian Politics Report Experiencing Sexist Bullying and Misogyny That Can Border on Abuse and Intimidation.36

Despite these barriers, in 2019 parliament reached an all-time high of women MPs.37

  • There are 46 women holding seats in the House of Representatives (30.46%).38
  • There are 37 women holding seats in the Senate (48.6%).39

In 2010, Julia Gillard became the first woman Prime Minister of Australia.40

WORK LIFE

The Majority of Organizations Have a Flexible Work Arrangement Policy or Strategy.41
  • 31.4% offer a compressed work week.42
  • 34.6% offer formal telecommuting (and 54.9% offer informal).43
  • 34.3% allow formal purchased leave44 (allows employees to fund additional time off by taking a reduction in salary).45

The government offers paid parental leave for the primary caregiver of a newborn or adopted child at the national minimum wage for up to 18 weeks 46

  • Employees may also be eligible for paid parental leave from their employer or to collect both.47
  • Eligible fathers, partners, and same-sex partners receive two weeks paid leave at the national minimum wage.48

Over half (51.0%) of Australian organizations offer no paid parental leave.49

The Fair Work Act 2009 (FW Act) provides employees the right to request changes to their working arrangements, specifically regarding hours, patterns, and locations of work.50

All Employees Are Entitled to Unpaid Domestic Violence Leave51

60.2% of employers are creating policies to address family and domestic violence (up 13 percentage points in the past year).52

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Full list of Quick Takes.

Jeanine Prime and Elizabeth R. Salib, The Secret to Inclusion in Australian Workplaces: Psychological Safety (Catalyst, 2015).

Australian Government, Workplace Gender Equality Agency.

Anna Green, Michaela Alhadeff, Zhanar Akhmetova and Clair Tracey, What’s Working To Drive Gender Diversity in Leadership The Boston Consulting Group (2017).

Diversity Council of Australia.

 

How to cite this product: Catalyst, Quick Take: Women in the Workforce – Australia (February 18, 2020).

  1. Liz Allen, “Solving the ‘Population Problem” Through Policy,” The Conversation (February 26, 2019); 2024.0 – Census of Population and Housing: Australia Revealed, 2016, “Australia Today, The Way We Live Now,” Australian Bureau of Statistics, (2017); The World Bank, “The World Bank, “Labor Force Participation Rate, Female (% of Female Population Ages 15+) (Modeled ILO Estimate), World,” The World Bank Databank (2019).” The World Bank Databank (2019).
  2. Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, Finding a Place to Call Home: Immigration In Australia (November 2019): Pp. 36.
  3. Australian Bureau of Statistics, 3412.0 – Migration, Australia, 2017-18, “Australia’s Population by Country of Birth,” April 3, 2019.
  4. Australian Bureau of Statistics, “Older Australia at a Glance” (2017).
  5. Australian Bureau of Statistics, “Older Australia at a Glance” (2017).
  6. “Aboriginal an 238.0.55.001 – Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, June 2016,”  Australian Bureau of Statistics media release, September 9, 2018.
  7. “Aboriginal an 238.0.55.001 – Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, June 2016 ,”  Australian Bureau of Statistics media release, September 9, 2018.
  8. Australian Government, Closing the Gap Prime Ministers Report, Chapter Four Employment: Transforming Lives Through Jobs, (2018): p. 79.
  9. Julie Hare, “Women Have The Educational Edge,” Weekend Australian (November 16, 2019).
  10. Andrew Norton and Ittima Cherastidtham, “Mapping Australian Higher Education 2018,” Grattan Institute (2018): p. 25.
  11. Australian Government, Department of Education and Training, uCube, (2019).
  12. Andrew Norton and Ittima Cherastidtham, “Mapping Australian Higher Education 2018,” Grattan Institute (September 16, 2018).
  13. Andrew Norton and Ittima Cherastidtham, “Mapping Australian Higher Education 2018,” Grattan Institute (September 16, 2018).
  14. Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), “Gender Workplace Statistics at a Glance” (2019).
  15. WGEA, “Gender Workplace Statistics at a Glance” (2019).
  16. World Economic Forum, “Women Are Dominating Employment Gowth, But What Sort of Jobs Are We Talking About?,” July 23, 2019: p.4.
  17. Rainer Strack, Mike Booker, Orsolya Kovács-Ondrejkovic,et al “Decoding Global Talent 2018,” Boston Consulting Group (June 25, 2018).
  18. Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, Finding a Place to Call Home: Immigration In Australia (November 2019): p. 34.
  19. World Economic Forum, “Women Are Dominating Employment Growth, But What Sort of Jobs Are We Talking About?,” July 23, 2019.
  20. Alan Duncan and Rebecca Cassells, Gender Equity Insights 2019: Breaking through the Glass Ceiling, BCEC Report (March 2019): p. 8.
  21. WGEA, “Home,” Data Explorer (2019).
  22. Alan Duncan and Rebecca Cassells, Gender Equity Insights 2019: Breaking through the Glass Ceiling, BCEC Report (March 2019): p. 8.
  23. WGEA, “Industries: Workforce Composition,” Data Explorer (2019).
  24. WGEA, “Industries: Summary,” Data Explorer (2019).
  25. WGEA, “Industries: Summary,” Data Explorer (2019).
  26. WGEA, “Industries: Governing Bodies,” Data Explorer (2019).
  27. WGEA, “Industries: Governing Bodies,” Data Explorer (2019).
  28. WGEA, “Industries: Governing Bodies,” Data Explorer (2019).
  29. Andrew Norton and Ittima Cherastidtham, “Mapping Australian Higher Education 2018,” Grattan Institute (September 16, 2018).
  30. Andrew Norton and Ittima Cherastidtham, “Mapping Australian Higher Education 2018,” Grattan Institute (September 16, 2018).
  31. WGEA, “Industries: Summary,” Data Explorer(2019).
  32. WGEA, “Industries: Mining Summary,” Data Explorer (2019).
  33. WGEA, “Industries: Financial and Insurance Services Summary,” Data Explorer (2019).
  34. WGEA, “Industries: Computer System Design and Related Services Summary,” Data Explorer (2019).
  35. WGEA, “Industry: Health Care and Social Assistance Summary,” Data Explorer (2019).
  36. Frances Mayo, “2019 Election: Why Politics is Toxic for Australia’s Women,”BBC News, May 16, 2019.
  37. Frances Mayo, “2019 Election: Why Politics is Toxic for Australia’s Women,” BBC News, May 16, 2019.
  38. Inter-Parliamentary Union, “Australia – House of Representatives,” New Parline (December 1, 2018).
  39. Inter-Parliamentary Union, “Australia – Senate,” New Parline (December 1, 2018).
  40. National Archives of Australia, “Australia’s Prime Ministers: Julia Gillard.“
  41. WGEA, “Flexible Working,” Data Explorer (2019).
  42. WGEA, “Industries: Flexible Working,” Data Explorer (2019).
  43. WGEA, “Industries: Flexible Working,” Data Explorer (2019).
  44. WGEA, “Industries: Flexible Working,” Data Explorer (2019)
  45. Victorian Public Sector Commission, Purchased Leave, VPS Enterprise Agreement Common Policies (2018).
  46. Australian Government, “Paid Parental Leave,” Fair Work Ombudsman.
  47. Australian Government, “Paid Parental Leave,” Fair Work Ombudsman.
  48. Australian Government, “Paid Parental Leave,” Fair Work Ombudsman.
  49. Alan Duncan and Rebecca Cassells, Gender Equity Insights 2019: Breaking through the Glass Ceiling, BCEC Report (March 2019): p. 33.
  50. WGEA, “Workplace Flexibility,” (2018).
  51. Australian Government, “Family and Domestic Violence,” Fair Work Ombudsman.
  52. WGEA, “2018-19 Data Snapshot,” Australia’s Gender Equality Scorecard (2018).