Women Fact Sheet

Australian women make up 42% of the workforce. Today, 70% of all women of working age are employed, an increase of more than 20% in the last ten years.

This rapid growth reflects changes in society's assumptions about women. There has been, in recent decades, an increased recognition of women's equality and women have enjoyed increased access to educational and employment opportunities, resulting in greater numbers of qualified female jobseekers. Companies are recognising that employing women boosts profitability, market share and productivity.

Nevertheless, women's salaries and annual earnings remain on average lower than their male counterparts. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, women's incomes in both full-time and part-time employment are only 66% of men's.

Equal pay is an issue that also affects men. Apart from the basic question of equity, it is also the case that many Australian households are reliant on two incomes, with 68% of all married women currently in the workforce.

Women are under-represented in upper level managerial positions. Only 3% of senior managers are women and only two of Australia's top 200 companies have female CEOs. Only 5% of line management positions are held by women.

In contrast, 62% of working women are employed in support positions, compared to only 30% of men.

Often the barriers that prevent women from moving into senior roles go beyond issues of work and family policies. Many organisations retain workplace cultures that are resistant to the advancement of women.

A survey asking women in the workforce about the main barriers to advancement found that:

• 52% said male stereotyping and preconceptions
• 49% said exclusion from informal networks
• 35% said inhospitable corporate culture
• 82% said lack of significant general management or line experience
• 64% said women were not in the pipeline long enough