Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women's Workforce Participation - An Australian Government Strategy to Boost ...

Page created by Tammy Munoz
 
CONTINUE READING
Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women's Workforce Participation - An Australian Government Strategy to Boost ...
Towards 2025
An Australian Government
Strategy to Boost Women’s
Workforce Participation
Page 2 > Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation   Page 3 > Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation

                                                                                                    Contents

                                                                                                    Ministerial statement..................................................................................................................................................................5
                                                                                                    Women’s workforce participation — an economic priority.................................................................................. 6
                                                                                                           Australia’s record....................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
                                                                                                           Increasing Women’s Workforce Participation..................................................................................................................... 7
                                                                                                                  Good for women and families................................................................................................................................................ 7
                                                                                                                  Good for the economy and for business.......................................................................................................................8
                                                                                                    The Strategy — at a glance.................................................................................................................................................. 10
                                                                                                           An integrated approach..................................................................................................................................................................... 11
                                                                                                           Implementation and accountability ......................................................................................................................................... 11
                                                                                                    Action area: Child care............................................................................................................................................................12
                                                                                                           Where are we?..........................................................................................................................................................................................13
                                                                                                                  The Government’s Investment............................................................................................................................................13
                                                                                                    Action area: Workplace diversity and flexibility........................................................................................................14
                                                                                                                  The Workplace Gender Equality Agency.....................................................................................................................16
                                                                                                           Where are we?..........................................................................................................................................................................................16
                                                                                                    Action area: Jobs of the future............................................................................................................................................17

Towards 2025 An Australian Government strategy to boost women’s workforce                                  Where are we?..........................................................................................................................................................................................18
participation                                                                                       Action area: Economic security.........................................................................................................................................20
                                                                                                           Where are we?..........................................................................................................................................................................................21
© Commonwealth of Australia 2017
                                                                                                    Action area: Financial incentives...................................................................................................................................... 22

ISBN 978-1-925362-33-6 (Hardcopy)                                                                          Where are we? ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 24

ISBN 978-1-925362-34-3 (PDF)                                                                               Government is setting the pace ............................................................................................................................................... 24

ISBN 978-1-925362-35-0 (DOCX)                                                                                     Principles............................................................................................................................................................................................. 25
                                                                                                                  Actions...................................................................................................................................................................................................26
Copyright Notice                                                                                                  Key initiatives....................................................................................................................................................................................26
With the exception of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, this work is                                   The different needs and experiences of women..................................................................................................... 27
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence
                                                                                                    Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women............................................................................................................28
(CC BY 4.0)(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en).                                                          Where are we?.........................................................................................................................................................................................28
                                                                                                    Culturally and linguistically diverse women .............................................................................................................30
                                                                                                           Where are we?.........................................................................................................................................................................................30
                                                                                                    Mature age women ................................................................................................................................................................. 32
Third party copyright                                                                                      Where are we?......................................................................................................................................................................................... 32
Wherever a third party holds copyright in this material, the copyright remains                      Rural and regional women................................................................................................................................................... 34
with that party. Their permission may be required to use the material.                                     Where are we?......................................................................................................................................................................................... 34
Please contact them directly.
                                                                                                    Women with disability............................................................................................................................................................36

Attribution                                                                                                Where are we?.........................................................................................................................................................................................36

This publication should be attributed as follows: Commonwealth of Australia,                        Young women..............................................................................................................................................................................38
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Towards 2025 A Strategy to                                   Where are we?.........................................................................................................................................................................................38
Boost Australian Women’s Workforce Participation.                                                   Data Snapshot.............................................................................................................................................................................40
                                                                                                    References.....................................................................................................................................................................................41
Use of the Coat of Arms
The terms under which the Coat of Arms can be used are detailed on the
following website: http://www.dpmc.gov.au/government/its-honour.
Page 4 > Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation            Page 5 > Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation

                                                                                                    Ministerial statement

                                                                                                             Supporting women to participate in the                      We are also supporting more women into
                                                                                                             workforce is an economic and social priority                the jobs of the future and establishing the
                                                                                                             for the Turnbull Government — it’s good for                 environment to encourage more women to
                                                                                                             women, families, business and our economy.                  own and run their own business.

                                                                                                             Boosting women’s workforce participation                    We are increasing women’s financial literacy
                                                                                                             is essential to raising living standards and                and helping them boost their superannuation
                                                                                                             securing Australia’s future prosperity. It                  to ensure that they are economically secure
                                                                                                             has the potential to add up to $25 billion to               and independent.
                                                                                                             the Australian economy.
                                                                                                                                                                         We are also ensuring the right incentives are
                                                                                                             Harnessing the power of our most important                  in place so that women can see both the short
                                                                                                             asset — the human capital of all 24 million                 and long-term financial benefits of maintaining
                                                                                                             Australians — will allow our children                       a connection with the workforce.
                                                                                                             and grandchildren to capitalise on the
                                                                                                                                                                         The Government is leading by example. We
                                                                                                             opportunities of the 21st century economy.
                                                                                                                                                                         have set goals for 50–50 gender balance at
                                                                                                             That’s why, under Australia’s presidency, G20               all leadership levels in the Australian Public
                                                                                                             leaders committed to reduce the gender                      Service and for women to hold 50 per cent
                                                                                                             participation gap by 25 per cent by 2025. For               of Government board positions. Our efforts
                                                                                                             Australia, this means decreasing the gap by                 are paying off with women now representing
                                                                                                             three percentage points from 12.1 per cent to               43 per cent of our ongoing Senior Executive
                                                                                                             9.1 per cent by 2025. On current results, we are            Service employees and just over 41 per cent of
                                                                                                             on track to achieve this goal.                              all Australian Government board members.

                                                                                                             The Turnbull Government has a strong record                 This Strategy outlines the practical work
                                                                                                             of supporting women in the workforce, with                  the Turnbull Government is undertaking to
                                                                                                             women’s employment at a record high of                      increase the opportunities for women to work if
                                                                                                             over 5.6 million, representing 46.5 per cent                that is their choice. We note that this is not the
                                                                                                             of employed Australians.                                    sole responsibility of government – business,
                                                                                                                                                                         families and the community all have a role to
                                                                                                             The participation gap is narrowing, but we
                                                                                                                                                                         play. The ultimate objective of this Strategy is
                                                                                                             are not complacent. We will continue to
                                                                                                                                                                         to enable women, men and families to have
                                                                                                             work to ensure that we achieve our target
                                                                                                                                                                         the freedom to make choices that best suit
                                                                                                             of reducing the gender participation gap by
                                                                                                                                                                         their individual circumstances.
                                                                                                             25 per cent by 2025.

                                                                                                             That is why this Government is implementing
                                                                                                             a new child care system to provide parents
                                                                                                             with more choice and opportunity to work. A                 Michaelia Cash
                                                                                                             more affordable, accessible and flexible child
                                                                                                                                                                         Minister for Women
                                                                                                             care system will support families so they can
                                                                                                             choose their child care around their work,                  Minister for Employment
                                                                                                             rather than limiting their work hours to suit               Minister Assisting the
                                                                                                             their child care.                                           Prime Minister for the Public Service
Page 6 > Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation                         Page 7 > Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation

Women’s workforce participation —
                                                                                                                          Australia’s record                                                  Increasing Women’s Workforce
                                                                                                                                                                                              Participation
                                                                                                                          Australia is faring well when it comes to
an economic priority                                                                                                      increasing women’s workforce participation.
                                                                                                                          Women’s workforce participation is at 72.0 per
                                                                                                                                                                                              Good for women and families

                                                                                                                          cent as of May 2017, meaning nearly 5.8 million                     Economic independence is an enabler — for
                                                                                                                          women aged 15-64ii are in the labour force.1                        both women and men — to exercise control
                                                                                                                                                                                              over their lives and to make genuine choices.
                                                                                                                          At the 2017 G20 Labour and Employment
                                                                                                                          Ministers Meeting, Ministers agreed that while                      At an individual level, the benefits of lifting
                                                                                                                          progress had been made towards reducing the                         women’s workforce participation include
                                                                                                                          gender participation gap since 2014, stronger                       additional financial security for women
                                                                                                                          efforts were necessary to achieve the Brisbane                      and their families by way of higher lifetime
                                                                                                                          goal and to address other workforce gender                          earnings, and increased savings for retirement.

Increasing women’s workforce                                                                                              gaps, including pay and career gaps.2
                                                                                                                                                                                              The rewards grow into the future because a
                                                                                                                          Early data indicates that Australia is                              job today means more career opportunities
participation leads to better living                                                                                      progressing well toward the goal. In May 2017,                      and higher earning potential tomorrow.
standards for individuals and families,                                                                                   the gender participation gap (for persons aged                      There are also social, health and wellbeing
                                                                                                                          15-64) was 10.4 percentage points.                                  benefits of work to be gained for women
improves the bottom line of businesses                                                                                                                                                        and their families.

and is a significant driver of national
economic growth.i
                                                                                                                                  G20  target
                                                                                                                                     G20 target—–closing
                                                                                                                                                   closing the
                                                                                                                                                           the gap
                                                                                                                                                               gap
This is why, in 2014 under Australia’s                                                                                     between the participation rates of men and women
                                                                                                                        between the participation rates of men and    women
presidency, G20 leaders committed
to reduce the gender participation                                                                        12%

gap between men and women (aged
15–64) by 25 per cent by 2025 in their
respective countries (the Brisbane goal).                                                                 8%

For Australia, this means decreasing the

                                                                                                    Gap
gap by three percentage points from
12.1 per cent (the 2012 starting point) to                                                                4%

9.1 per cent by 2025.

                                                                                                          0%
                                                                                                                2012   2013   2014      2015      2016       2017      2018      2019       2020       2021      2022       2023       2024       2025

                                                                                                                                                 Source: ABS, Labour Force, Australia, Feb 2017, cat. no. 6202.0, four quarter
                                                                                                                                                         average of seasonally adjusted data, persons 15-64 years

i   Workforce participation refers to the share of the working age population (aged 15 years and
    older) who are either in a job or actively looking for one.
                                                                                                                          ii Australia’s G20 goal is based on women’s workforce participation rates for women aged 15-64. The majority of Australian Bureau of
                                                                                                                             Statistics labour force data refers to a working age population of ages 15 years and over.
Page 8 > Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation                                                             Page 9 > Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation

Some research shows the economic                                  Encouraging more women to participate in
independence that employment provides can                         the workforce, and at senior levels, makes
also assist women’s decisions to leave violent                    clear business sense, because businesses that
relationships.3 It can bring financial security,                  attract both men and women applicants can
confidence and, therefore, safety.4                               also access the whole talent pool, meaning
                                                                  better quality employees.
Good for the economy and for business                             Breaking down gender segregationiii, whether
                                                                  by industry, occupation or part-time status,
Increasing women’s workforce participation is
                                                                  has clear economic benefits for business,
an economic priority for Australia.
                                                                  allowing organisations to attract and retain

                                                                                                                                                                          90,000
Successive Intergenerational Reports have                         high performing staff through accessing a
highlighted the importance of higher women’s                      wider and more diverse talent pool. Equally,
workforce participation to improving Australia’s                  we know that gender diversity at all levels —
productivity and prosperity, and to reduce                        board level, executive level and team level —
the fiscal pressures associated with providing                    means better financial performance.
welfare support to an ageing population.

In 2012, the Grattan Institute found that if
there were an extra 6 per cent of women                                                                                                                                       more women than men
in the workforce, we could add up to
$25 billion, or approximately 1 per cent, to                                                                                                                                  joined the labour force
Australia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).5
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation
                                                                                                                                                                                    in 2015–16
and Development (OECD) also estimates that
closing the gender participation gap by
75 per cent could increase growth in Australian                                                               $25b
GDP per capita from 2 per cent per annum to
2.4 per cent.6                                                                                                GDP
That’s why this Government has been so
focused on increasing women’s workforce
participation. In 2015–16, a key driver of our
employment growth was the increase in
women’s participation, with over 90,000 more
women than men entering the workforce.

The Government is also working with the
private sector to ensure they understand the
benefits of increasing women’s participation,                                              The Australian economy
and their elevation to senior leadership roles.                                             would grow by about

                                                                                   $25 billion
                                                                                if we support more women into work

                                                                   Source: Game changers: Economic reform priorities for Australia, Grattan Institute 2012.

iii The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) defines gender segregation as either an industry or an occupation in which one
    gender—either men or women—make up more than 60 per cent of all people employed in either the industry or the occupation
    [WGEA Gender Segregation in Australia’s Workforce, August 2016]                                                                                                       Source: ABS Labour Force, Australia, Jan 2017 (cat. no. 6202.0)
Page 10 > Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation                             Page 11 > Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation

                                                                                                                               The Strategy identifies six groups of women                 The Strategy is flexible, allowing the
The Strategy — at a glance                                                                                                     who experience different or greater barriers in
                                                                                                                               participating in the labour force:
                                                                                                                                                                                           Government to adapt, adjust and determine
                                                                                                                                                                                           the next steps based on monitoring and
                                                                                                                               ›› Aboriginal and Torres Strait                             evaluation of existing and new policies and
                                                                                                                                  Islander women,                                          prevailing social and economic conditions.

                                                                                                                               ›› Culturally and linguistically diverse women,             It also allows the Government to take into
                                                                                                                               ›› Mature age women,                                        account the varied and complex reasons
                                                                                                                                                                                           women have lower participation rates than
                                                                                                                               ›› Rural and regional women,
                                                                                                                                                                                           men, including age, education, family status,
                                                                                                                               ›› Women with disability, and                               cultural background and caring responsibilities.
                                                                                                                               ›› Young women.

                                                                                                                               For these groups, factors such as language,
                                                                                                                                                                                           Implementation and accountability
                                                                                                                               geographical distance or isolation can
The Strategy lays out the Australian                                                                                           reinforce existing barriers.
                                                                                                                                                                                           A new Implementation Plan will be developed
Government’s roadmap to meet its target                                                                                        Government policies must also take into                     each year which will outline action the
                                                                                                                               account women’s personal preferences,                       Australian Government will take over the
of reducing the gap in participation rates                                                                                     including their own and others’ attitudes                   course of the next 12 months.
                                                                                                                               to work and family, because these are
between women and men                                                                                                          critical factors in the decisions women
                                                                                                                                                                                           Implementation Plans will be released on an
                                                                                                                                                                                           annual basis. Future Implementation Plans
(aged 15–64) by 25 per cent by 2025.                                                                                           make about working.
                                                                                                                                                                                           will also provide an overview of activity over
                                                                                                                                                                                           the preceding 12 months and a summary of
Meeting this target will mean that, on                                                                                         An integrated approach
                                                                                                                                                                                           the key indicators used to measure progress
                                                                                                                                                                                           towards meeting the 2025 target.
top of current projections, an additional                                                                                      The Strategy integrates the key factors
200,000 Australian women will need to                                                                                          affecting women’s choices and opportunities
                                                                                                                               to work to reflect the many inter-related
enter the workforce.7                                                                                                          influences on women’s workforce participation.
                                                                                                                               Dealing with these factors in isolation will not
                                                                                                                               create the change needed to enable women
The Government has identified five areas which require continued action                                                        to work and achieve economic independence.
over the next decade:
›› Ensuring affordable, accessible and flexible child care,
›› Improving workplace diversity and flexibility,                                                                                     Workforce
                                                                                                                      Workforce participation    participation
                                                                                                                                              rates            rates
                                                                                                                                                    for different  groups of women
›› Supporting women to innovate, succeed as entrepreneurs and                                                                                    for different groups of women
   thrive in jobs of the future,
                                                                                                     Aboriginal and    Culturally and
›› Strengthening women’s economic security, and                                                       Torres Strait    linguistically          Rural and                                 Women with                                   Mature age
›› Enhancing financial incentives to work.                                                              Islander          diverse               regional               Women              disability         Young women                women
                                                                                                      women 15+ 1        women 15+             women 15+              15+ years          15-64 years 2        15-24 years             55-64 years

                                                                                                        51.5%              47.3%                 56.5%                59.2%                49.4%                 66.4%                 58.8%

                                                                                                                            Source: ABS, 2016, Labour Force, March 2016, cat. no. 6291.0.55.001, cat. no. 6202.0, 6250.0;
                                                                                                                                       1 — National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, 2014-15.
                                                                                                                  2 — ABS, Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings 2015, cat. no. 4430.0, persons 15–64 years
 owards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation
Page 12 > T                                                                                                                                            Page 13 > Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Source: ABS, 6239.0 — Barriers and
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Incentives to Labour Force Participation,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Australia, July 2014 to June 2015

Action area:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Where are we?
                                                                                                                                                      1 in 3 women said
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   The Government’s Investment
Child care                                                                                                                                                                                                         The Government is investing around $37

                                                                                                                                               caring for children                                                 billion on child care support to help ease
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   cost of living pressures for families balancing
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   work and parenting responsibilities, including
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   those that need before and after school care
                                                                                                                                               stopped them from starting a job                                    for their children.
                                                                                                                                                    or working more hours                                          It is estimated that the Government’s new child
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   care system will encourage more than 230,000
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   families to increase their involvement in
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   workforce participation while also supporting
The Government wants families to have                                                                                                                                                                              early learning opportunities for children. 10
                                                                                                                                                       These factors are complex and affect
choice when they are making decisions                                                                                                                  individual women and their families differently.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   The centrepiece of the new child care system,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   the Child Care Subsidy, will provide lower
about child care and work.                                                                                                                             Women’s preference to care for their                        income families an 85 per cent rate of subsidy.
                                                                                                                                                       children themselves, their own and others’                  This means that a family earning $60,000,
There are many factors that affect                                                                                                                     values and expectations, financial priorities and
                                                                                                                                                       their share of unpaid work all interact in their
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   whose child care centre charges $100 per day,
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   will only pay around $15 per day for child care.
women’s decisions to work including that                                                                                                               decision making.8
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   The reforms also abolish the current $7,500
women still bear a higher proportion of                                                                                                                While the workforce participation rate of                   Child Care Rebate cap to ensure parents on
                                                                                                                                                       women with children is increasing, the                      family incomes of around $185,000 or less (in
responsibility for raising children.                                                                                                                   participation rate for mothers is still below that          2017 terms) are not limited by a cap on the
                                                                                                                                                       of fathers and is strongly related to the age of            amount of child care they can access per year
                                                                                                                                                       their youngest child.                                       per child. Families earning more than around
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   $185,000 will benefit from an increased annual
                                                                                                                                                       Young men and women (15–24 years old) start
                                          Workforce
                                        Workforce   participation
                                                  participation   ratesby
                                                                rates   byage
                                                                           age                                                                         out on a similar footing, but the workforce
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   cap of $10,000 per year per child.
                                                                                                                                                       participation gap increases dramatically when               More than 1.2 million children attended
                                                                                                                                                       women have children. The participation rate                 approved child care during the 2016 September
                                                                                                                                                       of mothers aged 25 to 54 years with children                quarter, up 1.5 per cent on the previous
                                                                                                                                                       aged under 15 years old remains below that                  September quarter. In the same quarter
                                                                                                                                                       of women in the same age group without                      there were around 18,000 approved child
                                                                                                                                       80%             children. By contrast, having children has                  care services operating across Australia — an
         Women with
                                                                                                                                                       either no impact or increases workforce                     increase of 2.2 per cent on the previous year.11
no dependent children
                                                                                                                                                       participation for men.
                                                                                                                                       60%                                                                         Population growth will also play a key role
                     Men                                                                                                                               Access to child care places and financial                   in driving future demand for child care. The
                                                                                                                                                       assistance with child care costs were two of                Productivity Commission estimates that just
         Women with                                                                                                                    40%             the top three incentives to increase labour                 over 100,000 additional full-time formal early
   dependent children                                                                                                                                  force participation in 2014–15, with over half              childhood education and care places will be
                                                                                                                                                       of all women considering these issues to be                 needed by 2026.12 The largest category of
                                                                                                                                       20%             ‘very important’.9                                          growth is estimated to be out-of-school hours
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   and vacation care with population growth
                                                                                                                                                       It is clear that more quality, affordable
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   expected to lead to a 30 per cent increase in
                              15–19            20–24           25–34            35–44            45–54         55–64           65 years                accessible and flexible child care will give
                              years            years           years            years            years         years           and over
                                                                                                                                                                                                                   need for these services in 15 years.13
                                                                                                                                                       more mothers greater opportunity to enter into
                                                                                                                                                       or remain in the workforce, if they choose to do            The 2017–18 Implementation Plan outlines key
                                                                                                                                                       so — which is why the Government has made                   actions the Government will take to ensure
    Women: ABS (2016), Labour Force, Australia: Labour Force Status and Other Characteristics of Families, June 2016, cat. no. 6224.0.55.001
                       Men: ABS (2017), Labour Force, Australia, Detailed — Electronic Delivery cat. no. 6291.0.55.001,                                the most significant reforms to the system                  Australian women have access to affordable,
                                   Feb 2017, three month average of original data, centred for June 2016                                               in 40 years.                                                accessible and flexible child care.
Page 14 > Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation   Page 15 > Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation

                                                                                                     Men who work flexibly are able to be more                   part time at higher rates than men or not
Action area:                                                                                         active and engaged fathers, take a greater
                                                                                                     share in unpaid work and create opportunities
                                                                                                                                                                 working until their children are of school age.

Workplace diversity and flexibility                                                                  for women to increase their paid work.
                                                                                                     Although many Australian men want to work
                                                                                                                                                                 The majority of industries with a large share
                                                                                                                                                                 of women also have the highest share of
                                                                                                                                                                 part-time employment and conversely for
                                                                                                     flexibly, they are almost twice as likely as
                                                                                                                                                                 men, the majority of industries with a large
                                                                                                     women to have their request for flexible work
                                                                                                                                                                 share of men also have the lowest share of
                                                                                                     declined.14
                                                                                                                                                                 part-time employment. 16 Flexibility should be
                                                                                                     Whether an industry or occupation is seen to                encouraged and normalised for both men and
                                                                                                     be flexible and have a family friendly culture is           women in all occupations and industries.
                                                                                                     a driving factor for many women when making
                                                                                                                                                                 The Government is focused on promoting
                                                                                                     decisions about paid work, especially those
                                                                                                                                                                 the economic and financial benefit
                                                                                                     returning to paid work after caring for children.
                                                                                                                                                                 to business from increased women’s
                                                                                                     This flexibility is needed, in part, because
The Government is committed to                                                                       women do more unpaid work than men.
                                                                                                                                                                 participation. Companies in the top quartile for
                                                                                                                                                                 gender diversity are 15 per cent more likely to
making flexible work a normal part of the                                                            Women spend 64 per cent of their average
                                                                                                                                                                 have financial returns above their respective
                                                                                                     weekly working time on unpaid care work
workplace, for both men and women.                                                                   compared to 36 per cent for men15. We can
                                                                                                                                                                 national industry medians.17 Companies with
                                                                                                                                                                 women board members outperformed others
                                                                                                     see how this breakdown might affect women’s
                                                                                                                                                                 by 8.7 per cent over five years.18
Workplace flexibility allows women and                                                               decisions about work, for example, working

men more choice and opportunity in
determining how they blend work and
family and enables parents to work or
                                                                                                                                 25% of ASX200 board
work more.
                                                                                                                       25% of ASX200 boardare
                                                                                                                                 members    members
                                                                                                                                              women are women

                                                                                                                                             8                                   25
                                                                                                                                                     92

                                                                                                                                       2009                                 2016

                                                                                                                                                                                                 75
                                                                                                                                                    Women %           Men %

                                                                                                                       Source: AICD Gender Diversity Progress Report for September–November 2016
Page 16 > Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation                                                                                         owards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation
                                                                                                                                                                                Page 17 > T

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency                        The Fair Work Ombudsman, the

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency
                                                            Australian Human Rights Commission, the
                                                            Centre for Workplace Leadership and the
                                                                                                                                                 Action area:
(WGEA) helps to improve gender equality in
Australian workplaces, including by promoting
                                                            Workplace Gender Equality Agency all
                                                            provide information and tools for employers
                                                                                                                                                 Jobs of the future
flexible working and the need for more women                and employees to promote flexible working
in leadership positions, through advice and                 arrangements. For example, the Australian
practical tools to help employers improve their             Human Rights Commission’s Supporting
gender performance.                                         Working Parents website provides information
WGEA administers the annual workplace                       on rights and obligations in the workplace on
gender reporting requirements for larger                    pregnancy, parental leave and return to work.
private sector entities and universities.                   The 2017–18 Implementation Plan outlines key
This reporting includes gender equality                     actions the Government will take to promote
indicators in Australian workplaces such as the             flexible workplaces for both women and men.
availability and utility of employment terms,                                                                                                    The Government is committed to
conditions and practices relating to flexible
working arrangements for employees and to
                                                                                                                                                 preparing women for work in growth
working arrangements supporting employees                                                                                                        industries and getting women into the
with family or caring responsibilities and the
availability of flexible working provisions for                                                                                                  jobs of the future.
employees, and provision of employer funded
paid parental leave.

Where are we?                                                                      Flexibility is on the rise
                                                                                    Flexibility is on the rise
Many Australian businesses have already
taken substantive steps to reduce barriers
to women’s participation and increase the                                                                                                                                                          Men and women are
number of female employees, including into
non-traditional roles in the areas of science,                                                                                                                                               concentrated in different industries
technology, engineering and mathematics.                                                                                                                                 Men and women are concentrated in different industries
The Government’s Women’s Leadership
and Development Strategy provides funding                                                            2016                          63%                        78                             71                            12                           14                              22
support to organisations to improve gender
equality and support women’s economic

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   88

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   86
empowerment, safety and leadership. This                                                             2015                                60%

                                                                                                                                                22
is achieved by promoting and supporting

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   78
                                                                                                                                                                           29
greater representation of Australian women
in leadership and decision making roles, in
particular in non-traditional fields of work.                                                        2014                                 58%

                                                                                 63% of employers have a                                             Health care and                 Education and                  Construction                    Mining                     Transport, postal
                                                                                                                                                     social assistance                  training                                                                               and warehousing
                                                                                  flexible working policy

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Women %           Men %
                                                                        The Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s dataset is based on
                                                                         4,697 reports submitted on behalf of the 12,433 employers,
                                                                            accounting for around 40% of employees in Australia.
                                                                      Source: Australia’s Gender Equality Scorecard: Key Findings from
                                                                            the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, 2014-2016.                                                           Source: WGEA (2016) Gender composition of the workforce: by industry
Page 18 > Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation                      Page 19 > Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation

Science, technology, engineering and                        the Australian labour market to 2020 and                    developing young people’s 21st century skills               Employment projections to November 2020
mathematics (STEM) knowledge is associated                  currently has the highest proportion of female              to equip young people with the necessary                    show that some industries with large shares of
with 75 per cent of the fastest growing                     employees.22 This presents an opportunity                   skills to navigate complex careers across a                 female employment are likely to experience
occupations, innovations and higher paying                  to reduce gender segregation by increasing                  range of industries and professions.                        substantial growth.26 The health care and social
jobs.19                                                     men’s participation in these growth industries                                                                          assistance industry (78.3 per cent women) is
                                                                                                                        The Government is also providing $15 million
                                                            as the economy transitions.                                                                                             projected to make the largest contribution
The gender distribution of people with                                                                                  to establish a dedicated STEM academy
                                                                                                                                                                                    to employment growth, increasing by 16.4
qualifications in STEM is highly skewed against             Encouraging men into women-concentrated                     for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
                                                                                                                                                                                    per cent. The education and training industry
women in Australia, with males making up                    industries is as important as encouraging                   girls. The academy aims to spark interest in
                                                                                                                                                                                    (71.4 per cent women) is expected to increase
84 per cent of all persons with qualifications.20           women into traditionally male-dominated                     STEM careers and ultimately address the
                                                                                                                                                                                    by 13.0 per cent.27
Only one in four information technology                     fields. With the decline of many male-                      under-representation of women, particularly
graduates, and fewer than one in 10                         dominated industries, male workers are                      Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women,                The disability sector workforce is estimated
engineering graduates in Australia is female.21             encouraged to consider growth industries such               in STEM fields.                                             to more than double to meet the demand of
                                                            as health care and social assistance.                                                                                   the full National Disability Insurance Scheme
Innovation is critical to maintaining living                                                                            Women in the Australian startup community
                                                                                                                                                                                    (NDIS) by 2020.28 A number of these workers
standards and creating more and higher                                                                                  had a record year in 2016 — women were
                                                                                                                                                                                    will not require formal qualifications, but will
paying jobs for Australians.                                                                                            23.5 per cent of startup founders, up from
                                                                                                                                                                                    need to possess the right skills, aptitudes and
                                                            Where are we?                                               16.1 per cent in 2014.23 In the decade from
The Government’s National Innovation and                                                                                                                                            attitudes to support people with disability to
                                                                                                                        2005 to 2015, the number of women running
Science Agenda (NISA) is an important step                                                                                                                                          exercise choice and control over the support
                                                            It is critical to get more women into STEM                  businesses has grown by 4.8 per cent,
towards embracing new ideas in innovation                                                                                                                                           they receive. The clientcentred nature of the
                                                            industries, which have experienced                          compared to an 8.7 per cent decline in the
and science, and harnessing new sources of                                                                                                                                          NDIS is likely to create significant flexible or
                                                            significant growth over recent years. Under                 number of men operating a business.24
growth to deliver the next age of economic                                                                                                                                          part-time employment opportunities that may
                                                            the NISA, the Government has committed                      Women now comprise just over one third of
prosperity in Australia. It is also a critical                                                                                                                                      be attractive to people wanting to return to
                                                            $13 million to encourage more women and                     all Australian business operators (34 per cent
element of the Government’s plan to ensure                                                                                                                                          work, particularly those who want to combine
                                                            girls to pursue STEM related careers and to                 or 668,670 business operators, up from 31 per
that women are studying and working in the                                                                                                                                          parenting and working responsibilities.
                                                            encourage women to become entrepreneurs.                    cent in 1994).25
growth areas of STEM.
                                                            This includes a total of $12 million for the                                                                            The male-dominated automotive
In April 2016, the Government released                      expansion of the Science in Australia Gender                                                                            manufacturing industry in South Australia
Australia’s Cyber Security Strategy to meet                 Equity (SAGE) pilot, the establishment of a                                                                             and Victoria is set to close by the end of 2017.
the dual challenges of the digital age. The                 Male Champions of Change in STEM group                                                                                  The successful redeployment of workers is
Government is committed to Australians                      and grants to organisations that support                                                                                dependent on their ability to develop new skills
having the cyber security skills and knowledge              or engage school and university students,                                                                               that are in demand in other industries.
to thrive in the digital age. To achieve this,              women starting their STEM careers,                                                                                      To help facilitate these changes in the local
we need to understand and address the                       entrepreneurs and innovators.                                                                                           labour market, the Government established
causes of low participation by women in cyber
                                                            The Government has also committed                                                                                       the Geelong Employment Facilitator in 2013
security careers. This is a focus of the Cyber
                                                            $31.2 million in internships and post-school                                   2016                                     to identify job opportunities for workers in
Security Strategy’s Action Plan as we work
                                                            career advice to increase support for women                                                                             the region, including establishing projects to
towards achieving Australia’s cyber security
                                                            and girls to study and work in STEM. This            2014                                                               encourage workers from traditionally male
goals by 2020.
                                                            includes $28.2 million from 2017 to 2020 for                                                                            industries into non-traditional roles. One
The Government is also working to encourage                 Supporting more women in STEM careers:                                                                                  such project was the Retrenched Workers
more Australian women to start their own                    Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute                                                                              Community Services Taster Program, which
businesses and become entrepreneurs. The                    (AMSI) National Research Internships Program.                                                                           particularly targeted retrenched workers
integration of STEM skills with other skills                The program will support 1400 new industry                                                                              to provide them access to opportunities in

                                                                                                                         24%
like entrepreneurship is key to the success                 internships, with a particular focus on women                                                                           traditionally female focused areas.
of leading organisations in a large number                  researchers, through a nationally expanded                                                                              The 2017–18 Implementation Plan outlines key
of fields and industries. Australia will rely               PhD industry internships program run by                                                                                 actions the Government will take to get more
on STEM skills and innovation to support                    AMSI. The funds will also deliver a new and                                                                             women into the jobs of the future.
future economic growth.                                     contemporary National Career Education
                                                            Strategy (NCES). The NCES will focus on
                                                                                                             of startup founders are women,
The care economy is increasingly important
— for both the national economy and the
                                                                                                                   up from 16% in 2014
economic wellbeing of Australians. It will
be the largest industry growth sector in
                                                                                                               Source: Startup Muster 2016 Annual Report
 owards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation
Page 20 > T                                                                                                                    Page 21 > Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation

Action area:
                                                                                                     Where are we?
                                                                                                     The Government has taken significant                    Contribution splitting allows people to

Economic security                                                                                    steps to increase women’s economic
                                                                                                     security in retirement through a
                                                                                                                                                             help their spouse accumulate their own
                                                                                                                                                             superannuation by ‘splitting’ up to 85 per
                                                                                                     number of measures designed to boost                    cent of their concessional contributions in
                                                                                                     women’s superannuation balances.                        a year, and broadens superannuation to
                                                                                                                                                             individuals outside the workforce, a majority of
                                                                                                     The Paid Parental Leave scheme aims to
                                                                                                                                                             whom are women.
                                                                                                     extend mothers’ time away from paid work,
                                                                                                     while increasing lifetime attachment to the             The Government’s efforts to close the gender
                                                                                                     labour force. In 2015–16, 169,745 mothers               pay gap also play a key role in increasing
                                                                                                     started receiving Parental Leave Payment.               women’s economic security. The WGEA works
                                                                                                                                                             with the private sector and provides a number
                                                                                                     The Low Income Superannuation Tax
                                                                                                                                                             of resources to assist employers to close the
The Government is committed to                                                                       Offset reduces the tax on superannuation
                                                                                                     contributions for low income earners, of whom
                                                                                                                                                             gender pay gap.

achieving economic security for all                                                                  a high proportion are women. The offset will            The 2017–18 Implementation Plan outlines key
                                                                                                     ensure low income earners are generally                 actions the Government will take to ensure
Australian women to enable them to be                                                                not paying more tax on savings placed in                Australian women are economically secure
independent and empowered.                                                                           superannuation than they do on income
                                                                                                     earned outside of superannuation.
                                                                                                                                                             throughout life and in retirement.

                                                                                                     More people can claim a tax offset (up to
                                                                                                     $540) for contributions to superannuation
We know that a woman’s level of paid and unpaid work determines
                                                                                                     for their low income spouse by increasing
her economic security over the course of her life — the more a woman
                                                                                                     the income test threshold for the recipient
undertakes paid work, the greater her likelihood of a financially secure
                                                                                                     spouse from $10,800 to $37,000. This will
working life and retirement.29                                                                                                                                                                             $292,5
                                                                                                     allow more people who make contributions to                                                                 00
We also know that the Australian labour market is highly gender                                      their low income spouses to benefit from the                                                          $138,1
segregated in both occupations and industries. Men tend to work in                                   tax offset, helping low income earners, a high                                                              50
industries such as construction, mining and manufacturing. In contrast,                              proportion of whom are women, to build their
women account for more than 70 per cent of all employees in the                                      superannuation balances.
education and training and the health care and social assistance
                                                                                                     From 1 July 2018, any unused concessional                                          The Government is helping
industries. Gender segregation also refers to the tendency of women
                                                                                                     superannuation contributions will be able                                           women to save more for
and men to study different fields and how women and men participate                                                                                                                        retirement because
                                                                                                     to be carried forward for up to five years for
(full-time or part-time) in the labour market.                                                                                                                                              women retire with
                                                                                                     women with superannuation balances of
Women are more likely to work part-time or casually, take breaks                                     $500,000 and lower. The Government also                                                 less than half
from paid employment to provide unpaid care for others, and be over-                                 contributes up to $500 per year to low or                                          the superannuation of men
represented in lower paid industries and occupations, resulting in lower                             middle income earners who make after-tax
earnings and retirement savings compared to men.30                                                   superannuation contributions. Women make
                                                                                                     up a majority of the beneficiaries of these
That is why the Government has implemented a number of measures
                                                                                                     contributions — in 2014–15, 300,000 low
to enable women to boost their superannuation and reduce the gender
                                                                                                     and middle income women were entitled to
pay gap.
                                                                                                     $90 million of co-contributions.
Improving financial literacy will also help ensure women properly
understand the financial implications of working, working more hours,
getting a pay rise and what their retirement savings will look like.
                                                                                                                                                                                                 Women           Men

                                                                                                                                                                                      Average superannuation 2013-2014
                                                                                                                                                                   Source: Superannuation account balances by age and gender, December
                                                                                                                                                                  2015, Ross Clare, Director of Research ASFA Research and Resource Centre
 owards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation
Page 22 > T                                                                                                                  Page 23 > Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation

                                                                                                                         Women's
                                                                                                             Women’s incentives       incentives participation
                                                                                                                                to join/increase to join/increase
                                                                                                                                                               in the workforce
                                                                                                                                                 participation in the workforce

Action area:                                                                                                                  Work a set number of hours on set days
                                                                                                                                                                     Work

Financial incentives                                                                                                                                Vary start finish/times
                                                                                                                                          Ability to work part-time hours
                                                                                                                                             Ability to work school hours
                                                                                                                  Ability to work more hours with the same employer
                                                                                                                              Ability to do some or all work from home

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             were important to their choices about work
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             % of women who said the following factors
                                                                                                                      Access and facilities for any medical conditions

                                                                                                                                                                Skills
                                                                                                                                Getting help with job search activities
                                                                                                                    Getting a job that matches skills and experience
                                                                                                           Getting support for training or study to improve your skills
                                                                                                     Access to a mentor or someone to support you in the workplace

The Government is committed to                                                                                                                               Finance
                                                                                                      Be able to maintain most of any welfare benefits or allowances
assisting women and their families to                                                                           Ability to make extra contributions to superannuation

make well informed choices about work.                                                                                                                       Child care

Women’s economic participation has                                                                                                         Access to child care places
                                                                                                                             Financial assistance with child care costs
a positive effect on economic growth                                                                                                                         Caring
which is good for all Australians.                                                                                               Access to residential or aged care
                                                                                                     Access to in-home respite care or a community support worker

Australians who work will also interact                                                                                                                             Other
                                                                                                                                                Access to public transport
with the tax system. Australia has a
progressive personal income tax system.                                                                                                                                             0%                         25%                        50%                         100%

That is, people with higher taxable
                                                                                                                                    Source: 6239.0 — Barriers and Incentives to Labour Force Participation, Australia, July 2014 to June 2015
incomes pay more tax as a proportion
of their income than people on lower                                                                                         Personal income taxes are only part of the                               number and age of children in the family,
incomes. This reflects the belief that                                                                                       story — Australia is well known for its targeted                         use of child care and eligibility for government
                                                                                                                             transfer system (or government payments                                  payments. While the combination of paying
people who have more money should                                                                                            to individuals and families). Progressive                                more tax and/or receiving lower government
                                                                                                                             income taxes and targeted government                                     payments (effective marginal tax rates
contribute more, so the Government                                                                                           payments work together to produce                                        or EMTRsiv) is one of the factors in these
can provide the services that Australians                                                                                    fairer outcomes — as a person’s income                                   decisions, there are many others.
                                                                                                                             increases, they pay more tax and may receive
expect, such as health care, education                                                                                       lower government payments.
                                                                                                                                                                                                      Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics
                                                                                                                                                                                                      shows that women are influenced by factors
and family payments.                                                                                                         Women’s decisions about whether or not to                                such as caring for their children, flexible work
                                                                                                                             work, or how much to work, play out differently                          arrangements and access to child care to
                                                                                                                             for every individual and family.                                         a greater extent than the potential loss of
                                                                                                                                                                                                      government payments in their decisions about
                                                                                                                             The financial benefits of working are affected
                                                                                                                                                                                                      whether or not to work.
                                                                                                                             by specific circumstances such as salary, the

                                                                                                                             iv An EMTR refers to the proportion of each additional dollar of income that is paid in tax or offset by the withdrawal of transfer payments
                                                                                                                                (such as a welfare or family benefit). EMTRs—while a structural feature of Australia’s tax and transfer system—are highly variable and
                                                                                                                                calculating an individual’s EMTR is dependent on their specific circumstances. EMTRs help us understand whether or not there are
                                                                                                                                immediate financial incentives to work, or work more, but it is important to note that EMTRs don’t apply to a person’s whole income.
Page 24 > Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation              Page 25 > Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation

Women’s decisions are also affected by their                work and move off welfare. There will also be       Of the APS’s 153,000 ongoing employees,                     Principles
own and others’ values and priorities, broader              greater incentives for employers to offer work      58 per cent are women, 30 per cent of APS
social expectations and the level of unpaid                 experience opportunities.                           agency heads are women, 43 per cent of                      The APS is achieving gender equality by
work that they undertake.                                                                                       Senior Executive Service employees are                      driving the following principles:
                                                            The Government is investing over $100 million
                                                                                                                women and 44 per cent at the Executive                      ›› Transformational change – public sector
                                                            to assist mature age people, including
                                                                                                                Level 2 level are women. The APS has                           leaders, managers and supervisors will
                                                            women, to identify new labour market
                                                                                                                achieved parity at the Executive Level 1                       be bold in creating inclusive workplace
Where are we?                                               opportunities and reskill. This comprises
                                                                                                                level.32 Women accounted for more than                         cultures.
                                                            the $98 million Career Transition Assistance
                                                                                                                50 per cent of all ongoing promotions to                    ›› Commitment – leaders will give priority to
The Government is focused on ensuring                       Program and a $9.6 million investment
                                                                                                                EL1 to SES Band 1 levels during 2016, most                     ensuring gender equality in their agencies
that there are financial incentives for women               to expand and enhance the National
                                                                                                                notably they accounted for almost 70 per                       and will allocate resources accordingly.
to return to the workforce, particularly                    Work Experience Programme.
                                                                                                                cent of promotions at the SES Band 3 level.
after having children.                                                                                                                                                      ›› Accountability – leaders at all levels are
                                                            The 2017–18 Implementation Plan outlines            By comparison, in the ASX 200 8.7 per cent of
                                                                                                                                                                               accountable for driving gender equality
The Government is ensuring women are aware                  key actions the Government will take                Chief Executive Officers are women.33
                                                                                                                                                                               in their agencies.
of the long-term benefits of working, including             to help women make well informed
maintaining connections with a workplace and                decisions about working.
their qualifications, and adding to retirement
savings after taking a break from work to
care for children.
                                                            Government is setting the pace
The National Financial Literacy Strategy
supports women to build an accurate picture                 As one of the largest employers in the nation,
of the financial implications of commencing                 the Australian Public Service (APS) seeks to
or returning to work, working more hours,                   reflect the diversity of the community it serves.
getting a pay rise and how income tax and                   In 2016, the Government released its plan
government payments adjust with these                       for addressing gender equality in the APS
changes. The Strategy also highlights how                   Balancing the Future: The Australian Public
work improves retirement income long term.                  Service Gender Equality Strategy 2016-201931
                                                            (the APS Gender Equality Strategy).
Workforce participation and self-reliance are
central to improving long-term wellbeing. The               The APS Gender Equality Strategy requires
Government is committed to ensuring that
all Australians who have the capacity to work
                                                            every government agency to set targets for
                                                            gender equality in leadership positions and
                                                                                                                                             Women now represent
do so, rather than being reliant on welfare.
The Government is creating a clearer, more
                                                            boost gender equality in each workplace.
                                                            Agency heads are accountable for meeting
                                                                                                                                              more than 41% of all
coherent set of mutual obligation requirements              these gender equality targets on the way                                         Australian Government
for working age welfare recipients and                      to achieving the overarching goal of 50–50
increasing support for them to get a job.                   gender balance.                                                                     board members
The Government is making a $263 million                     In the words of Senator the Hon Michaelia
investment in the successful ParentsNext                    Cash, the Minister for Women and the
pre-employment program which will help                      Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for
more parents of young children, who may be                  the Public Service:
at risk of long-term welfare dependency, to
                                                                “Improving gender equality and diversity
plan and prepare for employment by the time
                                                                 ensures workplaces have greater depth
their children start school. From 1 July 2018,
                                                                 of experience and perspective. To support
ParentsNext will assist around 68,000 parents
                                                                 Australia’s G20 commitment to boost
each year nationally — around 96 per cent of
                                                                 women’s workforce participation and
participants are expected to be women.
                                                                 reduce the gender participation gap by
Unemployed Australians, particularly those                       25 per cent by 2025, it is essential the APS
50 years and over, will benefit from increased                   shines a light on gender equality and leads
services and resources to help them find                         the way to drive real and lasting change.”
                                                                                                                        Source: Australian Government Gender Balance on Australian Government Boards Report 2015-16.
                                                                                                                                Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Unpublished data December 2016.
Page 26 > Towards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation                        owards 2025 An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation
                                                                                                               Page 27 > T

Actions                                                     The Council has also considered important

The APS is setting the pace on
                                                            issues relevant to staff with disability,
                                                            Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff,
                                                                                                               The different needs and
gender equality by:
›› Driving a supportive and enabling
                                                            lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and
                                                            intersex staff and staff from a culturally
                                                                                                               experiences of women
   workplace culture – including committing                 and linguistically diverse background.
   to implementing best practice strategies                 The Council is supported by a working group
   to ensure workplaces are as supportive                   comprised of department nominated senior
   and sensitive as possible for staff                      diversity champions and human resource
   experiencing violence.                                   representatives.
›› Achieving gender equality in APS
                                                            Gender Equality Action Plans
   leadership — including developing
   programs that support women’s                            Every government agency has developed
   progression into senior leadership                       an individual Gender Equality Action Plan,
   positions, particularly in priority areas                with most now published on their respective        Evidence shows us that different groups
   such as information technology, science
   and finance.
                                                            websites. These plans outline each Agency
                                                            head’s commitment to achieving gender
                                                                                                               of women have a variety of experiences
›› Working innovatively to embed gender                     equality and include ambitious (stretch)           in the workforce.
   equality in employment practices –                       targets over the life of the APS Gender
   including working to build organisational                Equality Strategy.
   capability to address unconscious bias                                                                      The Strategy identifies six groups of women with specific needs
   and ensuring that all selection panels ask               Flexible by default
                                                                                                               and experiences:
   ‘50/50 – if not, why not?’ for the purpose of            The APS Gender Equality Strategy introduced
                                                                                                               ›› Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women,
   gender balance in shortlisting processes.                the ‘flexible by default’ principle, which
                                                            assumes that any role can be filled through        ›› Culturally and linguistically diverse women,
›› Increasing take-up of flexible work
   arrangements by both men and women –                     a flexible working arrangement. This requires      ›› Mature age women,
   including by adopting a ‘flexible by default’            managers to challenge assumptions about            ›› Rural and regional women,
   approach.                                                how work should be done and how jobs are
                                                                                                               ›› Women with disability, and
›› Measurement and evaluation – including                   designed. This approach normalises the idea
                                                                                                               ›› Young women.
   developing an evaluation framework so                    of flexibility and ensures that both men and
   agencies can monitor their progress and                  women see flexibility as an option that will not   By focusing on these six groups, the Government acknowledges that
   adjust their approach as required.                       curtail their career progression.                  efforts to improve women’s workforce participation must recognise
                                                                                                               that women are a diverse group, and policy responses must be tailored
›› Committing to develop training on the                    Target for Government Boards                       to respond to the different needs, aspirations and challenges of all
   differential impact of gender in mainstream
                                                            In 2016, the Government announced a target         Australian women.
   policy development.
                                                            of women holding 50 per cent of Government
                                                            board positions overall, and men and women
Key initiatives
                                                            each holding at least 40 per cent of positions
Secretaries Equality and Diversity Council                  on individual boards. This new target came
(the Council)                                               into effect on 1 July 2016 with Government
                                                            reporting annually on its performance against
Established in June 2016 to drive the                       the target.
implementation of the APS Gender Equality
Strategy, the Council is comprised of all APS               Women now represent just over 41 per cent of
Departmental Secretaries along with two                     all Australian Government board members.34
external members to provide insights and                    By comparison, in 2016, 25 per cent of ASX 200
experience from outside the public sector.                  board members are women.35

Secretaries have committed to appear only
at events and on panels that are gender
balanced by taking the Panel Pledge.
You can also read