The document discusses diversity and gender equality in the Australian workplace. It summarizes that while Australian girls outperform boys in literacy and are more likely to complete high school and university, women still face barriers in the workforce. Women now outnumber men in bachelor's degree enrollments but have lower starting salaries. While women represent over half of university graduates, they hold less than 13% of senior executive positions. The document argues Australia is not maximizing its economic potential by failing to address issues that prevent women from advancing their careers.

1. WIRe
Women in work, and
diversity in Australia
Erica van Lieven
Managing Director
November 2013
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2. Diversity is an important issue for
economic success in Australia
The recent Business Council of Australia
report acknowledges that despite the two
waves of change we have already had
(legislation for equality in 1999 and specific
training by employers), there is a growing
acknowledgement that organisations are
inherently gendered. Gender diversity is
about having and valuing diversity in teams,
styles and thinking, different perceptions of
problems and different viewpoints.
Diversity is not comfortable, but offers
superior organisational effectiveness
The diversity issue cuts both ways in Australia;
young males do less well in school,
particularly in literacy and subsequently
tertiary education; then we lose the training
we have invested in women in their late 20s
to mid 30s as they fail to progress to
leadership roles in organisations.
Women in work, and
diversity in Australia
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3. Education:
Australian girls are ahead
of boys on Literacy
15 year old girls out perform boys on
reading literacy in Australia.
At age 15, girls outperform boys in reading
in every PISA participating country and
economy. The reading performance
gender gap is equivalent, across OECD
countries, to one years worth of
schooling.
In mathematics, boys outperform girls in
some countries and economies but
differences are generally smaller. In
science, gender differences are small and
there is no consistent pattern across
countries.
OECD REPORT 2012
Maths Science and Reading
scores on PISA, 15 Years old
Source: OECD 2004 Learning for Tomorrow’s World –
First results from PISA 2003
Women in work, and
diversity in Australia
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4. On average year 12 males
are less likely to complete yr 12 than female students
Since 1984, female students have been more
likely to continue through to Year 12 than male
students.
In a pattern reflecting almost all OECD
countries, while many boys perform well, on
average boys achieve less than girls. Boys are
less likely than girls to complete high school,
and are less likely to go to university.
In 2010, this had increased to 73% of young
men and 83% of young women who
completed high school in Australia.
Source: ABS 2001 Transition from Education to Work
Survey; 2002-2010 Surveys of Education and Work
Women in work, and
diversity in Australia
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5. From a slow start
women in Australia have increased their participation in
tertiary education
Women in work, and
diversity in Australia
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6. Women out number men
in enrolments for bachelor degrees
Women outnumber men graduating
from bachelor degrees and advanced
diplomas.
In 1987 more men than women were
students of higher education. In 2011
however, 57% of enrolments were
women.
42% of women are enrolled in a bachelor
degree versus 37% of men.
Similar proportions of men and women
are enrolled in postgraduate degrees.
Participation trends in higher
education in Australia reveal a reversal
in the gender gap.
Source: ABS 2011 Survey of Education and Work
Women in work, and
diversity in Australia
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7. Yet median starting salaries
for women are consistently lower than males…
The transition from education to paid work is a crucial moment which
lays the foundation for many of the inequalities encountered in the
labour market throughout women’s working lives.
In 2012 the starting salary for recent female bachelor degree
graduates was 90% of a male graduates salary…$50,000 compared
with $55,000.
The salary disparity between men and women for post graduate
work is more pronounced than that of bachelor degree candidates:
2010 median full time salary for females masters by course work
graduates was $70,000 compared with $85,000 for male
graduates, despite similar numbers of enrolments.
Source: ABS Gender Indicators Australia, Australian
Social Trends July 2012
Women in work, and
diversity in Australia
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8. In 13 fields of education
mens starting salaries were greater than womens
Fields of education where men earned more than women in 2012 and 2011
2012
Industry
Architecture and building
Dentistry
Optometry
Law
Economics, business
Art and design
Accounting
Mathematics
Veterinary science
Paramedical studies
Social work
Psychology
Agricultural science
Male
($, 000)
52
92
82
55
50
42.5
50
58.1
46
53
50.9
49.5
50.5
Female
($, 000)
43
77.6
75
50.7
47
40
48
56
45
52
50
49
50
2011
Male
($, 000)
50
80
72
52
50
42
48
55
43
52
49
50
45
Female
($, 000)
43
75
70
50
45
40
46
55
45
50
50
47
46
Source: Workplace Gender Equality Agency |
GradStats – starting salaries | www.wgea.gov.au
Women in work, and
diversity in Australia
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9. We are wasting the investment in education
Australia has one of
the most highly
educated female
populations in the
world, but we rank
behind countries like
Finland, Norway,
Sweden, Denmark,
Israel, Canada, France,
USA and Germany in
the gap in labour
force participation
across ages 15-64
years.
Source: Gender Equality in Education, Employment
and Entrepreneurship: OECD, May 2012
Women in work, and
diversity in Australia
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10. Representation of women
in senior executive positions in ASX 200 companies has
not exceeded 13% for the past decade
38.5% of ASX 200 companies and 56.2% of ASX 500
companies do not have a female director
The industry sectors with the highest percentage of
female directors across both ASX 200 AND 500 are
insurance and banking
“A wide gap remains between intention and
outcome, there has been no improvement in the
perceptions of a level playing field for women. In fact
there has been a decline, with only 15% of women
believing they have equal opportunity for promotion
to senior management positions.”
Bain & Co report
EMT: executive management team, the most
senior person in the organisation ( CEO,MD) and
those that report directly to that person.
Executive Key Management personnel
(executive KMP) defined in the Australia accounting
standard as the person with authority, responsible
for planning, directing & controlling activities of
entity directly or indirectly
Source: Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace
Agency ; 2012 Australian Census of Women in Leadership
Women in work, and
diversity in Australia
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11. what stops women from reaching the top?
Source: What stops women from reaching the top?
Confronting the tough issues, BAIN & Co 2011
Women and men acknowledge they have different styles, but men don’t see the impact on women's opportunities for advancement. There are no gender
differences in attributes for making commercially sound decisions, managing high pressure situations or delivering significant transformative change. However
men and women agree they achieve these outcomes with significantly different styles: women collaborate more whereas men promote their points of view
more effectively.
1.
Perception about challenges associated with competing work-life priorities and that women's style is different from men, and less valued
2.
Women and men both recognize that they have different styles, but men don’t recognize the obstacle this presents for women’s promotability
3.
The underlying view of women's style affects perceptions of their ability to lead
Women in work, and
diversity in Australia
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12. “
When all the details
fit in perfectly,
something is
probably wrong
with the story.
Women in work, and
diversity in Australia
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13. Warren Buffet is bullish on women
“
We’ve seen what can be
accomplished when we use 50
per cent of our human capacity.
If you visualise what 100 per
cent can do, you’ll join me as an
unbridled optimist.
Warren Buffet ,
Fortune Magazine May 20, 2013
“
Women should never forget that
it is common for powerful and
seemingly self-assured males to
have more than a bit of the
Wizard of Oz in them. Pull the
curtain aside, and you'll often
discover they are not supermen
after all. (Just ask their wives!)
Fortune Magazine May 20, 2013
Women in work, and
diversity in Australia
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14. References
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2013, Australian Social Trends, cat. no. 4102. 0, ABS, Canberra.
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2012, Australian Social Trends, cat. no. 4102. 0, ABS, Canberra.
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2012, GenderIndicators, cat. no. 4125.0, ABS, Canberra
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011, Australian Social Trends, cat. no. 4102. 0, ABS, Canberra.
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006, Australian Social Trends, cat. no. 4102. 0, ABS, Canberra.
Australian Government & Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency 2012, Australian Census of
Women in Leadership, Australian Government & Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency, Canberra.
Toohey, T Colosimo, D Boak, A 2009, Economics:Australia's Hidden Resource: The Economic Case For Increasing Female
Participation', Goldman Sachs JBWere Investment Research, Australia.
OECD 2012, 'Gender Equality in Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship: Final Report to the MCM 2012', OECD, Paris.
Sanders, M Hrdlicka, J Hellicar, M Cottrell, D Knox, J 2011 'What stops women from reaching the top? Confronting the
tough issue', Bain & Company, Sydney.
Sandberg, S 2013, 'Lean in: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead', Alfred A.Knope, New York.
Fortune Magazine, May 2013 Warren Buffett is bullish ... on women;
Increasing the number of Women in Senior Executive Positions, Business Council of Australia Report BY Meredith
Hellicar Nov 2013
Graduate Careers Australia (2012), Postgraduate Destinations Report 2011, http://www.graduatecareers.com.au/Research/Resear
chReports/PostgraduateDestinations
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15. Thank You
Lets Connect!
Erica van Lieven
Managing Director
November 2013
www.directionfirst.com
Linked in: au.linkedin.com/in/ericavanlieven/
Twitter:
@erica_dfirst
Email: erica.vanlieven@directionfirst.com
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