There are clear discrepancies between what women are looking for in a workplace and what they are experiencing in reality, according to research released today by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA).
EOWA’s research report: Generation F: Attract, Engage, Retain draws attention to crucial areas where business is failing to meet the needs of women aged between 16 and 65 – Generation F – in the workplace.
“Australian women – Generation F – are highly skilled, just as ambitious as men and want the opportunity to develop their skills. But persisting gender bias and old-school policies regarding flexible working conditions and work-life balance continue to hamper Generation F’s positive participation in the workforce,” said Anna McPhee, EOWA Director.
Key areas where business is falling short of what women want in the workplace include:
- Three quarters of Generation F want opportunities for promotion and progression, but only 49% say their organisation provides them this opportunity.
- Supportive bosses and management is important for 90% of women seeking a job, but only 64% say that this is true of their workplace.
- Learning and development is important for 83% but less than two-thirds say their workplace provides this.
- Eighty-three percent of women are looking for an organisation that genuinely supports work-life balance, but only 58% say they have found it.
- Only 55% of women say their workplace has a good organisational record of promoting and supporting women.
- Only 51% of women say their organisation has a large number of women in senior positions.
“Men also acknowledge what women have known all along – that work really is bit of a ‘boys’ club. In fact, men are more critical of the workplace in terms of gender bias than women,” said McPhee.
“Australia is experiencing a major skills shortage that is seriously threatening productivity and economic growth. This situation could get significantly worse for business in Australia when you consider that almost one in five women (17%) plan to join the growing ranks of the self-employed. For this reason alone, it makes smart business sense to improve the opportunity women have to participate in the workplace to their full potential.”
“The EOWA report: Generation F: Attract, Engage, Retain gives business some simple ways to achieve this by ensuring their workplaces meet the needs of women more effectively.”
“Thirty-one percent of the women we spoke to say they would participate more in the workforce if their partners did more of the domestic work. Because women’s time is sliced up more than men, it can mean they have less time to further their education, take on career progression training and networking which is of concern for women, but also for the Australian economy,” said McPhee.
About EOWA
EOWA is a Federal Government statutory authority that consults with Australian employers annually regarding their equal opportunity initiatives. EOWA’s vision is to create an Australia where women in the workplace can achieve their greatest potential.
EOWA’s Generation F research, sponsored by Hays, involved an extensive qualitative and quantitative study of more than 1600 people (both men and women) across Australia to determine their career aspirations and employer expectations in order to determine the most important issues and understand the experiences of women in the workplace.
AAP
