Key Facts:
Gender Equity Insights Report 2025 Bankwest Curtain Economics & WGEA
- Workforce balance: Just 27.3% of organisations are gender balanced (40:40:20). Service industries are leading, while construction, mining and manufacturing remain heavily male-dominated.
- Leadership divide: Boards are nearing parity, but CEO and executive shares have plateaued at around 25%. Only a quarter of organisations have balanced leadership teams.
- Pathways under pressure: Female appointment rates are higher in some industries, but resignation rates for women in health, retail and agriculture are eroding gains.
- Pay gaps: Many occupations now show gaps within ±5 per cent, but structural segregation across industries and roles remains the major driver of inequality.
- Business Performance: Firms with gender-balanced leadership achieve stronger market value and profitability, underlining the economic as well as social case for equity.
https://bcec.edu.au/publications/gender-equity-insights-2025-the-power-of-balance/
Melbourne, 19 November 2025, The Recalibrate, Gender Equity Awards will celebrate more than sixty finalists who are doing exactly what Australia's new national research calls for, turning gender equity commitments into measurable practice. The BCEC, WGEA Gender Equity Insights 2025, The Power of Balance report finds that companies taking action on gender equality achieve lower staff turnover, more women in leadership, and stronger company value. It also warns that organisations that fail to address gender balance risk falling behind.
What is newsworthy is the alignment between the report and this year's cohort. The finalists span enterprise, large, medium, and SME employers, plus individual categories from Employee through to CEO or Board Member, with many returning for a second or third year, which demonstrates steady improvement. The Intersectional Company category is now firmly embedded with four finalists, a sign that equity practice is deepening.
The BCEC, WGEA report highlights that only 27.3 percent of organisations have a gender balanced workforce, boards are nearing parity, yet executive and CEO representation has plateaued at around 25 percent. It also confirms that occupational segregation and resignation patterns for women are key barriers to balance. These national signals sit alongside WGEA's March 2025 publication showing only about one in five employers within the plus or minus five percent target range, although 56 percent improved their gap over the past year. Momentum, not mood.
Finalists as proof, not platitudes
Denton's Australia reports a zero percent median gender pay gap for 2025, a clear benchmark that parity is possible when leadership, transparency, and regular audits work together.
Barwon Water and Barwon Asset Solutions redesigned recruitment for field roles using peer storytelling, clearer job titles, and always-open talent pipelines. Outcomes followed, twenty two applications from women for civil maintenance roles where previously two or three was typical, three women hired, and two more into land management roles soon after. This is a practical answer to the report's call to redesign pathways in male dominated roles. Gender Equality Commission
These examples land squarely with the report's finding that gender balanced leadership teams deliver higher company value, equivalent to around ninety three million dollars on average for a one billion dollar ASX listed company, with upside depending on the starting balance.
Pathways, pay, and performance, how the awards map to the report
Workforce balance, finalists show concrete shifts in traditionally male-dominated areas through targeted recruitment and supported transitions.
Leadership divide, more women are moving into P and L and operational roles in finalist organisations, addressing the leadership plateau flagged by BCEC and WGEA.
Pathways under pressure, finalists are tackling resignation risk by normalising flexible leadership, improving safety and respect, and building return to work pathways.
Pay gaps, many occupations are now within plus or minus five percent, yet structural segregation remains the major driver of inequality, which is why transparent analysis and action plans among finalists matter.
Business performance, finalists are matching the report's evidence that better balance supports stronger value, profitability, innovation, and resilience.
"At a time when some countries and organisations are backing away from diversity, equity and inclusion, it is more important than ever to work together to push stronger for positive change." — Neil Plummer, Judge, Recalibrate Gender Equity Awards
About the BCEC,WGEA report
Gender Equity Insights 2025, The power of balance analyses employer data collected by WGEA and shows that proactive actions, including goal setting for pay equity, regular gap analysis, redesigned recruitment into underrepresented roles, and flexible leadership pathways, reduce resignation rates for women and shift organisations toward balance. wgea.gov.au
Recalibrate celebrates organisations and people creating equitable workplaces, audited by KPMG and winners unveiled at Crown, Melbourne on 19th November 6-10pm.
Visit genderequityawards.com
