What inequalities and opportunities exist for women in the Australian workforce? Discover key insights from Indeed’s 2024 Future of Women in the Workplace Report to break down existing barriers in the workplace, engage key talent, and create an equitable future for all.
In the past several years, there have been significant gains for women in the workplace, including increased workforce participation rates and women’s representation in senior leadership. While these mark positive steps in the right direction – true gender parity is not yet a reality. Extensive progress is still needed to address the immanent barriers preventing equal opportunities, growth, and inclusion for women in the workplace. To understand the inequalities and opportunities that exist for women in the workforce, Indeed surveyed individuals who identify as women across eleven countries, including Australia, for their perspectives on current and future workplace matters.
Australia's gender equity gains and gaps
From a national standpoint, results from Indeed’s 2024 report indicate Australian women are more optimistic about the outlook of women in the workplace than other countries in the study. Just over half (53%) believe things will improve for women within the next five years, compared to the global average of 41%. Despite these considerations, and comparative economic and cultural differences with their peers globally, Australian women tend to experience consistent workplace challenges surrounding: compensation and career progression, wellbeing and belonging, and increasing demand for alternative, flexible working models. These insights deliver Australian employers the knowledge, data, and recommended strategies to help break down existing barriers in the workplace.
United efforts needed to close the gender pay gap
The pervasive gender pay gap, once again, returned to the spotlight early this year. National media coverage was sparked by landmark data from the government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency, revealing dozens of Australian companies have gender pay gaps of more than 50%. WGEA reports, using ABS data, it currently stands at 12% in Australia.
While closing the gender pay gap is important for Australia's economic future and reflects our aspiration to be an equal and fair society for all, it won’t be easy, and no country has succeeded to date. Misinformation on social media and perpetuating misconceptions reflect that the gender pay gap is still difficult to understand. It is not a comparison of like roles, but rather, shows the difference between the average or median pay of women and men across organisations, industries, and the workforce as a whole. It measures how the contributions of men and women are valued in the workforce between earnings.
According to Indeed’s report, although Australian women recognise the worth of their work, 47% do not think they are paid enough as a base salary. Compounding this issue are barriers women experience in requesting raises. 54% of those surveyed have never asked for a pay rise during their career, with lack of confidence and fearing negative consequences being the biggest hurdles (42% and 33% respectively).
Jessica Jensen, Chief Marketing Officer at Indeed, states: 'Sadly, women are typically less comfortable than men with asking for raises or fair compensation, and they often don’t know how to access the right tools to assess how much they should be paid'.
For employers, these findings present an important opportunity to develop and implement actionable plans to reduce and eventually eliminate the gender gap. Creating safe, welcoming work environments empowers women to do their best work, and have important discussions about compensation and progression, without fearing repercussions.
'I am encouraged to see organisations and jurisdictions taking the lead in pay transparency', Jessica continues, 'And this progress will be critical to ensuring women get paid what they are due and can advance professionally'.
Driving business transformation through DEIB+
As savvy organisations understand, empowering women in the workplace is crucial not only because it is right to promote gender equality and social justice, but also drives organisational success by harnessing diverse perspectives, talents, and skills.
Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that in Indeed’s report, the most important DEIB+ factor women value is a sense of belonging in the workplace. (Indeed applies a ‘plus’ sign in DEIB+ to acknowledge there is more work than meets the eye in fostering true diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.) Most notably, women in Australia place a greater emphasis on key aspects of DEIB+ than their peers globally.
A majority indicate they value working in an organisation that welcomes people of diverse backgrounds, and also desire strong DEIB+ policies and seeing people of all genders, ethnicities and racial backgrounds in leadership positions.
Considering 40% of Australian women report their workplace does not offer organisation-led DEIB+ initiatives, employers may need to consider bolstering their efforts by providing:
- training on unconscious biases
- a diversity and inclusion task force
- a dedicated diversity leader
- mentorship and allyship programs
- guest speaker series.
By removing barriers, offering equitable growth opportunities, and strengthening inclusive environments, Australian organisations will be well-placed to engage key women talent, resulting in greater innovation, workplace cultures, and sustainable business outcomes.
Misty Gaither, Vice President of Global Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging at Indeed confirms: 'Building and sustaining a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment where employees feel a sense of belonging is not just a trend, it’s a strategic business imperative in recognising that diverse workplaces drive innovation and help organisations thrive'.
Work-life balance and flexibility remain top priorities
Many Australian organisations recognise the value of workplace flexibility to enable greater gender equality, be more responsive to employees’ needs, and attract and retain diverse talent. It encompasses a broad range of accommodations for employees to meet external commitments, usually with respect to changed hours, patterns, or locations of work.
From a global perspective, workplace flexibility remains centre stage for employees, with 80% of women emphasising the importance of work-life balance when looking for new opportunities. Nearly two-thirds (60%) indicate they would like to work from home in some form, and also value part-time flexibility (43% preferring to work between 31 and 40 hours a week).
For working parents, these benefits are particularly valued, considering women account for 86% of all primary carer’s leave utilised and men account for 14%. Women need more support in navigating parental leave, returning to work, and managing childcare responsibilities.
The good news is, more employers are embracing hybrid-work and work-from-home models. In Australia, 41% of women report having remote work flexibility, though 58% do not. Organisations are also embracing other beneficial initiatives, such as job-sharing and part-time opportunities.
Technology, particularly video platforms, has been a key factor supporting these developments. However, more than one-third of women agree technology makes it harder to disconnect – the highest-rated downside of technology.
Employers offering workplace flexibility may like to consider strengthening practices to support employees, such as observing clear, contracted work hours, and encouraging employees to disconnect from work devices during personal time.
Overall, like women globally, Australian women are hopeful about workplace improvements in the near future. Strategic efforts to support women’s wellbeing and sense of belonging at work oftentimes have positive flow-on effects for overcoming other challenges, such as supporting conversations around fair compensation and progression opportunities, as well as improving overall workplace engagement. While there are many ways our nation and society can act to address inequalities, employers have a unique opportunity to have an impact – and reap attractive results in turn, namely, a strengthened capacity to engage diverse talent and a future-proofed organisation. Let’s work together to promote all women.For more insights, visit the Hiring Lab to read the full report.
