Breaking the glass ceiling: The ongoing battle for gender equality
The battle for gender equality is ongoing. see which industries are doing better than others and what can be done to expedite gender pay equality.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling: The Ongoing Battle for Gender Equality in Australia’s Workforce
In recent years, Australia has made considerable strides toward gender equality, but the glass ceiling—an invisible barrier preventing women from reaching the highest levels of leadership—remains pervasive in many sectors. Despite progress, some industries continue to lag behind, perpetuating systemic inequalities that restrict women’s career advancement.
What is the Glass Ceiling?
The glass ceiling refers to the unseen yet unbreachable barriers that prevent certain groups, especially women, from rising beyond a certain level in the corporate hierarchy. Though these barriers are not formally imposed, they manifest in the form of unequal pay, limited access to leadership roles, and other career obstacles.
In Australia, the gender pay gap remains a significant indicator of the glass ceiling. According to The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), women earn, on average, 13% less than men in full-time roles. Although this figure has decreased in recent years, it underscores persistent inequalities across various sectors.
Leading Industries in Gender Equality
- Public Sector and Government
The public sector, particularly in health, education, and social services, has made notable strides in closing the gender pay gap. Women represent a majority of the workforce in these areas and are seeing improved representation in leadership positions. Initiatives such as flexible working arrangements and transparent promotion processes have played key roles in promoting gender equality. Government agencies have also implemented equal pay policies, helping reinforce a culture of gender parity across public service roles.
- Professional Services
Professional services like law, accounting, and consulting are increasingly focused on reducing the gender pay gap. Firms within these industries, such as PwC and Deloitte, have committed to implementing diversity and inclusion policies, enhancing work-life balance, and promoting women into leadership roles. By setting clear diversity targets, these companies have established benchmarks for gender equality that other sectors are striving to meet.
Fostering diversity in professional services has shown that it not only enhances workplace culture but also boosts business performance, making it a win-win for companies focused on both profitability and inclusivity.
- Education and Healthcare
Women are significantly represented in both education and healthcare, where the gender pay gap is narrower compared to other industries. In primary and secondary education, the gender pay gap is minimal, while women are increasingly securing leadership roles in universities, hospitals, and other healthcare institutions. Despite these advances, there are still areas, such as higher education, where top academic and administrative positions remain male-dominated, presenting ongoing challenges.
4. Administrative Services
While not at parity, administrative services have shown improvement, with women representing 57.5% of the workforce in this sector.
Industries with Room for Improvement
Finance and Insurance
The finance and insurance sectors, while making some progress, continue to struggle with gender equality in senior leadership roles. Although women represent a significant portion of the workforce in finance, they remain underrepresented in executive positions, perpetuating the gender pay gap. Unconscious bias, a lack of female role models in top-tier positions, and limited mentorship opportunities contribute to these disparities.
Many financial institutions have launched diversity initiatives to increase female representation in leadership, but the sector has a long way to go in achieving true gender parity.
Technology and IT
As one of the fastest-growing industries, technology and IT have also struggled to close the gender pay gap. The underrepresentation of women in STEM roles and leadership positions is still a prominent issue. Despite efforts to encourage women to pursue careers in tech, ingrained cultural biases continue to deter female professionals from progressing within the industry.
Companies like Atlassian and Microsoft Australia have started to implement initiatives such as diversity hiring programs and women in tech mentorship, however, the journey to gender parity remains a challenging one in this male-dominated field.
Construction Industry
The construction industry remains one of the most male-dominated sectors in Australia:
As of 2023, women make up only about 14% of the workforce in the Australian building and construction industry.
Men comprise 89% of the overall construction workforce, 99% of construction tradespeople, and 86% of construction managers and professionals.
Construction is the most heavily male-dominated industry in Australia, with men making up 6 out of every 7 employees.
The Role of Recruitment Agencies in Breaking the Glass Ceiling
Recruitment agencies play a crucial role in helping businesses overcome gender inequality by promoting inclusive hiring strategies. By emphasising diversity during the recruitment process, agencies can ensure that qualified women are given equal opportunities to advance their careers. Here’s how recruitment agencies can help break the glass ceiling:
Promoting Equal Pay Practices
Recruitment agencies can work closely with clients to develop transparent pay structures that eliminate disparities between men and women performing similar roles. Advocating for salary transparency during the recruitment process encourages fair compensation practices.
Gender-Targeted Recruitment
Focusing on gender-inclusive recruitment strategies is key to breaking industry norms. Recruitment agencies can actively seek out and recruit female candidates for roles in traditionally male-dominated sectors like technology and finance.
Highlighting Inclusive Employers
When presenting job opportunities, recruitment agencies can highlight companies committed to gender equality. This allows female candidates to connect with employers that value inclusivity and diversity, offering them the best possible environment to thrive.
Educating Employers
Recruitment agencies can collaborate with employers to address unconscious bias in hiring, promoting women to leadership roles, and ensuring that opportunities for advancement are equally distributed. By fostering a dialogue about the importance of inclusivity, agencies can drive change from within.
Supporting Career Development
Mentorship programs and networking opportunities can empower women to reach higher levels of leadership. Recruitment agencies that offer or connect candidates to such initiatives can help women overcome barriers, develop their skills, and advance their careers.
Conclusion
It’s important to note that while some industries are making progress, overall gender segregation in the Australian workforce remains a significant issue. The government’s efforts to publish employer gender pay gaps for nearly 5,000 Australian private sector employers is a step towards transparency and accountability. This data reveals that 62% of median employer gender pay gaps are over 5% and in favour of men, indicating that there’s still substantial work to be done across most sectors to achieve gender equality in the workplace
While Australia has made meaningful progress in gender equality, the glass ceiling remains a significant barrier to women’s career advancement. Recruitment agencies have a critical role to play in helping businesses break this barrier by promoting diversity, equal pay, and inclusive hiring practices.
At Recruitment Central, we are dedicated to fostering an inclusive workforce where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. If your company is serious about promoting gender equality and creating opportunities for women to advance, partnering with a recruitment agency that understands these challenges is crucial.
Get in touch with us today to learn how we can help you build a more equitable team.
References:
https://genderequality.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-03/working-for-women-a-strategy-for-gender-equality.pdf
https://www.pmc.gov.au/sites/default/files/resource/download/national-strategy-gender-equality-discussion-paper_0.pdf
https://www.pmc.gov.au/office-women/womens-economic-equality
https://ministers.pmc.gov.au/gallagher/2024/employer-gender-pay-gaps-published-first-time
https://www.treasury.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-05/workforce-gender-segregation-in-australia.pdf
https://nawic.com.au/Common/Uploaded%20files/SmartLibrary/5a853234-ba75-43c8-9727-e27bf3ac878d/NAWIC%20IWD%20Scholarship%202023%20Project%20Report.pdf
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