Workplace gender segregation ‘a handbrake’ on Australia economy, new report finds News
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Workplace gender segregation ‘a handbrake’ on Australia economy, new report finds

Government agency Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) reported Thursday that entrenched gender segregation in Australia’s labor market is holding back productivity and worsening long-term income inequality, particularly for First Nations and migrant women.

The report, “New Perspectives on Old Problems: Gendered Jobs, Work and Pay,” is the first release in JSA’s Gender Economic Equality Study. It reveals that only one-in-five Australian workers is in a gender-balanced occupation and that nearly 70 percent of roles have remained highly gendered for the past 15 years. According to the study, this imbalance is not just a fairness issue, but directly contributes to labor shortages and economic inefficiency.

The study introduces the Gender Segregation Intensity Scale (GSIS) to measure occupational gender imbalance, finding that as segregation deepens, gender pay gaps widen. Using a new 10-year accumulated pay gap measure, JSA found women earned 30.7 percent less than men over the decade, with First Nations women facing a 38.1 percent gap, the highest across all demographics.

Males out-earned females in 98 percent of the 688 occupations analyzed. Over 100 jobs have a pay gap exceeding 25 percent, with nearly 30 exceeding 35 percent. The most drastic divergences are found in male-dominated trades, finance, and healthcare leadership.

The report also highlights intersectional inequities, showing that First Nations and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) women face compounding disadvantages due to systemic bias, racialized expectations, and life stage barriers. While CALD women contribute to gender balance in high-skilled fields like medicine and IT, they remain underrepresented in leadership and decision-making roles.

The release comes amid renewed scrutiny of broader gender and justice issues in Australia. In Queensland, a controversial pause on pediatric gender hormone therapy remains in place pending a state-led review. The freeze, which affects nearly 500 children waiting for treatment, has been criticized by advocates who say it may harm the well-being of trans and gender-diverse youth. Simultaneously, the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) released a separate national report in March detailing how the justice system is failing victims of sexual violence, particularly First Nations women, migrant women, and women with disabilities.

Together, these reports suggest that Australian institutions disproportionately burden women, especially those at the intersection of race, gender, and socioeconomic status. While JSA notes slow progress in some professions, the overall pace of change remains slow. The agency warns that without deliberate intervention, workplace segregation and wage inequality will continue to act as a “handbrake” on Australia’s economic and social progress.

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