The Australian Government is committed to advancing women’s economic equality, including leading a national push to help close the gender pay gap.
Economic equality between women and men is essential to achieving gender equality. Women in Australia have lower workforce participation rates and work fewer hours than men. Women face barriers to working the hours and jobs they want. These include:
- unequal sharing of unpaid work and care in families
- inaccessible and unaffordable childcare
- unequal access to flexible work for both women and men
- workplaces that are not inclusive and safe
- gender norms surrounding what is viewed as women’s and men’s work.
Women continue to shoulder the majority of unpaid work and care in Australia. They take time out of the workforce and work part-time to meet caring responsibilities. This affects women’s workforce participation and career advancement, as well at their lifetime wealth accumulation and superannuation. The underrepresentation of women in the workforce also has a significant impact on the Australian economy.
Australia’s industries and occupations are highly gender-segregated. Women are overrepresented in Australia’s low paid essential sectors. This includes early childhood education and care, aged care, and disability care. Women are also underrepresented in high paid sectors such as mining and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Women are also underrepresented in leadership and decision-making roles and overrepresented in casual, part time and fixed-term roles. These roles can provide flexibility to manage caring responsibilities but are frequently lower paid and insecure.
Women face multifaceted barriers to participation and opportunities. Barriers to women’s participation in diverse education, training, skills and employment opportunities start at a young age. Additionally, First Nations women, women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, women with disabilities, women living in regional, rural and remote locations, older women, LGBTQIA+ people and women with caring responsibilities can face multiple and compounding disadvantages when participating in the workforce. This can make a substantial impact on long-term economic equality for women in Australia, and on Australia’s economic prosperity.
Advancing women’s economic equality and closing the gender pay gap are fundamental to achieving gender equality and a fairer, more prosperous and resilient economy.
The Office for Women advises the Government on actions to:
- close the gender pay gap and address its key drivers. This includes gender discrimination, the unequal distribution of unpaid work and care, and gender-segregated industries and occupations.
- support women’s financial wellbeing and close the gender superannuation gap
- improve pay and conditions in female-dominated industries and occupations
- support essential services and social infrastructure. This includes early childhood education and care, aged care and disability care that enable women and men to better balance work and care
- support women into leadership positions.
- boost women’s participation in education and skills, with a focus on qualifications where women are underrepresented
- challenge social norms and assumptions around the roles and responsibilities of women and men around work and care
- support women into traditionally male-dominated industries and occupations, and men into traditionally female-dominated industries and occupations
- increase access to safe, affordable and secure housing, including crisis and emergency accommodation, social housing, rentals and home ownership.