The Albanese Labor Government is investing in women's economic equality and security - with $28.5 million to extend the Advancing Gender Equality in Gender Segregated Industries grant program for an additional two years.
Launched in March this year, the Gender Segregated Industries grant program supports the Government's strategy for gender equality, Working for Women, which identifies industry and occupational segregation as a barrier to Australian women.
Current grant recipients are working to identify and deliver actions that assist specific industries and individual workplaces to support women to work safely and successfully in male-dominated sectors.
The program is uniquely placed to bring together unions, industry and employers, leveraging tripartite expertise to address systemic issues facing women in gender segregated industries and foster more cooperative workplaces.
The program does so by funding employer and employee representative organisations to trial initiatives that address gender segregation at workplace, occupation and industry levels. Current grant recipients can apply for this extension to build on successful pilots and scale up their program's projects to reach more organisations, driving long-term equality.
Leading employer and worker groups across Australia will be eligible to apply for funding. Projects will support long-term practical solutions that foster flexibility, safety and inclusion for women across industries.
Australia has some of the highest rates of gender segregation among advanced economies, with industry segregation accounting for around a quarter of the gender pay gap.
Gender segregation also limits workforce participation in critical sectors, with 65% of occupations in shortage on the Skills Priority List dominated by one gender.
The extension supports the government's gender equality strategy, Working for Women, by:
- expanding access to resources, training and programs for women
- generating robust evidence on best-practice approaches
- addressing structural barriers that limit participation and contribute to workforce shortages.
Current projects are already delivering benefits for women, including:
- expanding leadership programs for women in male-dominated sectors
- supporting small businesses with toolkits and digital resources
- improving workplace safety and culture through audits and training.
