WGEA Review Report

Review of the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012, December 2021

Snapshot of gender equality in Australia

One of the key themes in the consultation feedback was the need to accelerate progress on gender equality in Australian workplaces. While progress has been made, there is more to do. Gender inequality persists across women’s economic security, women’s safety and women’s leadership as shown in the Snapshot of Gender Equality in Australia at figure 1.

Stakeholders want to see faster change in narrowing the gender pay gap noting it is an important indicator of women’s overall position in the paid workforce. The national average full-time gender pay gap is 14.2 per cent (based on ABS data). In recent years the national gender pay gap has been narrowing, as shown in the WGEA Fact Sheet on Australia’s Gender Pay Gap Statistics (see ‘the national gender pay gap over time’ in the Fact Sheet in Appendix 6). However, there continues to be a gender pay gap in favour of men across all industries, even female-dominated industries. This compounds in an average 23 per cent superannuation gap, leaving more women economically insecure in retirement.

There continues to be a substantial workforce participation gap between women and men. More women work part-time (43.4 per cent) than men (18.7 per cent). Only a small proportion of men work flexibly or take parental leave. Women are under-represented in STEM education and careers, and under-represented in higher paid trades.

Women experience significantly more sexual harassment at work than men. Women’s experience of violence – at home, online and in the community – constrains their workforce participation. Online abuse disproportionately impacts women, undermining their economic and professional opportunities.

There has been some progress on women’s leadership. ASX200 companies have made progress on women’s leadership, achieving the 30 per cent target set by the 30% Club Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD). However, there are only 18 women CEOs in the ASX300 and of the 23 CEO appointments in 2020-21 only one woman was appointed.

This brief snapshot of gender equality underlines the need to monitor and improve gender equality in workplaces. The recommendations in this report will help WGEA support businesses take action on gender equality in their workplaces.

Figure 1 – Snapshot of Gender Equality in Australia

Figure 1. Snapshot of Gender Equality in Australia infographic. Economic Security. November 2021. Participation rate (ages 15+) Women 61.6%, Men 70.7%. Employed total 6.3 million women 6.9 million men. Unemployed rate. 4.7% women 4.6% men. Part-time employment. 44.6% of employed women work part-time. 19.3% of employed men work part-time. Unpaid Domestic and care work. Mothers spend 49 hours a week on unpaid housework and childcare. Fathers spend 28 hours. Women spend more time doing unpaid work even when they work full-time. 19.0% of women who0 work full-time spend more than 14 hours a week on unpaid domestic work compared to 7.7% of men who work full-time. (This does not include unpaid care-work) Industry Splits. STEM-qualified occupations 28% women 72% men. Construction 13.3% women 86.7% men. Education and Training 72% women 28% men. Healthcare and social assistance 76.8% women. 2.3% men. Retirement income. $178.808 men %137.057 women difference of 23.4%. The gap in median superannuation balances for those approaching retainment (ages 60-64) is 2.34%. This translates to a median superannuation balances for this age range of $178,808 for men and $137,057 for women. Gender pay gap 14.2& as at May 2021. Women earn less than men even in industries where women are overrepresented. Men earn $1,978 per week compared to Women $1,569.5 per week. A difference of 20.7%. SOURCES: ABS, Labour Force, Australia, November 2021; HILDA data pooled from 2002 to 2015 (Waves 2 to 15), cited in “Work and family”, Australian Institute of Family Studies, accessed September 29, 2020, www.aifs.gov.au/facts-and-figures/work-and-family; ABS, Labour Force, Australia, Detailed, October 2021; ATO Taxation Statistics 2018-19 - Snapshot - Table 5 - data.gov.au; ABS, Average Weekly Earnings, Australia, May 2021; 16th Annual HILDA Statistical Report HILDA-Statistical-Report-2021.pdf (unimelb.edu.au) ; Workplace Gender Equity Agency, WGEA Australia's Gender Pay Gap Statistics | WGEA accessed 14 December 2021. Department of Industry, Science, Energy, and Resources, Workforce and gender equity policies in STEM and other industries, https://www.industry.gov.au/data-and-publications/stem-equity-monitor/workforce-and-gender-equity-policies-in-stem-and-other-industries

Figure 1.1 page. 18 Snapshot of Gender Equality in Australia infographic, Safety. More than 4 in 5 Australian women and more than half of Australian men over the age of 15 have been sexually harassed at some point in their lives. 1.4 women and 1 in 12 men have experienced intimate partner violence since the age of 15. Indigenous females aged 15 and over are 34 times as likely to be hospitalised due to family violence as non-Indigenous females. Indigenous males are 27 times as likely to be hospitalised due to family violence as non-Indigenous men. The The estimated cost of violence against women and their children in 2015-16 is $26 billion. Of women living outside major cities, 23% reported experiencing partner violence compared with 15% of women in major cities. 1 woman is killed every 11 days. 1 in 6 women will experience financial abuse from an intimate partner in their lifetime. SOURCES: Australian Human Rights Commission, Everyone’s business: Fourth national survey on sexual harassment in Australian workplaces (Sydney: AHRC, 2018); ABS, Personal Safety, Australia, 2016; KPMG, The cost of violence against women and their children in Australia (KPMG, 2016); Australian Institute of Health & Welfare, Family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia: continuing the national story (AIHW, 2019); J. Kutin et al, Economic abuse between intimate partners in Australia: prevalence, health status, disability and financial stress, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 41, no. 3 (2017); Australian Institute of Criminology, Homicide in Australia: Statistical Report 34 (2021) Leadership. Australian Government Boards as at 30 June 2021. 49.6% women 50.4% men. ASX200 Boards as at 30 November 2021. 34.2% women 65.8% men. SOURCES: “Gender Balance on Australian Government Boards Report 2020-21”, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, accessed December 14, 2021, www.pmc.gov.au/office-women/leadership/gender-balance-australian-government-boards; “Board Diversity Statistics”, Australian Institute of Company Directors, accessed December 14, 2021, https://aicd.companydirectors.com.au/advocacy/board-diversity/statistics.