Australian women are working more and with better pay and job security than ever, but unequal domestic responsibilities and pay across industries are among the barriers holding back gender equality at work, according to new research from the University of Sydney Business School.
The first Gender Equality @ Work Index , an internationally unique tool developed by researchers from the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work , provides a comprehensive, national snapshot of gender equality at work over a period of 10 years.
The index is to be launched by The Hon Rebecca White MP, Assistant Minister for Women, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health, in Canberra today.
"This world-leading research will help us understand the drivers and barriers to gender equality in the workplace. It's encouraging to see progress achieved, but we know more needs to be done to make equality a reality," said Assistant Minister White.
"The Albanese Government is making women's economic equality a central priority, and implementing key policies including improved commonwealth paid parental leave and improved pay for female-dominated workforces."
Measured against seven dimensions to produce a score out of 100, the index demonstrates that overall gender equality improved by just three points between 2014-2024, from 80 to 83.
"Despite having a higher rate of Bachelor-level education than men, women participate at lower rates, work fewer hours, at lower levels, in less secure jobs and industries, for lower pay and with poorer levels of safety," said Professor Rae Cooper AO , Director of the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work.
"We are seeing progress in most areas, notably with more women working in senior roles that reflect their education and experience. Safety was the sole area in which equality went backwards over the last 10 years, with women experiencing significantly higher rates of workplace sexual harassment and other causes of psychological injury compared to men. This undercut progress made in all other dimensions.
"This report demonstrates that change is happening and gender equality at work is an achievable goal, but only if policymakers, employers and the community take action to address the root causes of inequality. How we do that is the $128 billion question ."
Understanding the index
The Gender Equality @ Work Index goes beyond laws and policies to track what is happening in workplaces. The overall score is a composite measure of inequality calculated across seven dimensions:
- Participation. How many women are working, and working to their full potential.
- Pay. The gap in hourly pay and total remuneration, including overtime and bonuses.
- Hours. Measuring working hours and unpaid domestic hours.
- Security. Women are more likely to face insecure work in casual roles.
- Segmentation. Men and women are concentrated in different industries, and male-dominated occupations tend to pay more.
- Stratification. Women working below their qualification and experience level.
- Safety. Physical and psychological injury at work.
For each dimension, a score of 100 represents equality between men and women. The world-first index serves as an annual diagnostic tool to identify areas where progress on gender equality has stalled, and highlight where additional action and investment could drive improvements.
This first report reveals women are closest to parity in security (94), participation (92) and pay (92). Stratification has been the area of greatest progress, rising from 77 to 86 between 2014-2024.
Stubborn gender barriers in the workforce and at home
The index shows Australia performs most poorly on gender segmentation of work - a dimension that has only improved by three points over the past 10 years and remains 33 points below equality.
"Australia's workforce remains deeply divided along gender lines, with men and women concentrated in different kinds of work. Male-dominated jobs tend to be higher paid and of higher quality, which undermines women's economic security," Professor Cooper said.
"This divide restricts opportunity, reinforces inequality, weakens our overall economic resilience, and leaves employers exposed to chronic skills shortages. The more dominated an occupation is by one gender, the more likely it is to face workforce gaps."
Professor Elizabeth Hill , Deputy Director of the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work, said the unequal burden of domestic care remains another significant barrier to gender equality at work.
"The good news is we are seeing gradual progress, with a slight increase in men's weekly unpaid domestic work and a slight decrease for women. But stubbornly low uptake of paid parental leave by men continues to be a major cause of gender inequality at home and in the workplace," Professor Hill said.
"The laws are in place and the policies are catching up, but sticky social norms mean women spend longer out of the workforce and return to fewer hours in lower roles, which hampers their career progression. We need men to take the leave made available to them and enable women to return to work sooner and in greater capacity."
Future research opportunities
The research team is now developing the next innovative and action-oriented applications of the Gender Equality @ Work Index, which will enable point-in-time snapshots, track progress over time, and provide deeper insights into change across the seven dimensions that make up the Index.
Further development of the national index will generate insights across states and territories, industries, workforce groups and organisations. The team is also developing a tool for international comparative analysis that builds global understanding of gender equality at work.
The Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work invites collaboration, investment and partnership to help inform and drive progress. Access the Gender Equality @ Work Index and learn more about partnership opportunities at the centre website .
