Gender Indicators, Australia

The Key Series and associated Indicators for this publication are listed below.

Indicators with an update in 2020 are identified.

The key findings for Economic Security are:

1. For those aged 20-74 years, employed women are almost three times more likely than men to be working part-time in 2019–20.
2. For parents whose youngest dependent child was under six, three in five employed mothers worked part-time compared to less than one in ten employed fathers.
3. In May 2020, women’s full time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings were 86% of that of men. This ratio is the same as that in May 2019. This represents a gender pay gap (GPG) of 14%.

The detailed data supporting the following insights are available from the Data downloads section of this publication:

• Data Cube 1: Economic Security - Working population
• Data Cube 2: Economic Security - Earnings, income & economic situation and Housing.
   

The following data are available in Data Cube 1, Table 1.1.

In 2019-20, two-thirds of women (67.6%) and more than three-quarters of men (78.1%) aged 20–74 years old participated in the labour force. The 2019-20 rate is the highest for women during the past 10 years.

Between 2009-10 and 2019-20, women aged 60 years or older accounted for three of the four largest increases for female labour force participation rates by age group:

• 30-34 years, a 7.1% increase (70.7% to 77.8%)
• 60-64 years, a 9.9% increase (41.8% to 51.7%)
• 65-69 years, a 7.5% increase (17.3% to 24.8%)
• 70-74 years, a 5.9% increase (4.8% to 10.7%).

In all age groups, except 15-19 years, the labour force participation rate for women is lower than that for men. The age groups with the largest difference were:

• 30-34 years, a 13.9% difference (77.8% of women compared to 91.7% of men)
• 35-39 years, a 15.1% difference (77.5% of women compared to 92.6% of men)
• 60-64 years, a 13.1% difference (51.7% of women compared to 64.8% of men)

For parents aged 20–74 years, whose youngest child was under six years old, only around two-thirds of women compared to nine-tenths of men participated in the labour force:

• 65.5% of women
• 94.4% of men.

For those parents whose youngest child was 6-14 years old, the female participation rate greatly increases, though still below that of men, likely reflecting some women re-entering the work force once their children reach primary school age:

• 80.2% of women
• 92.4% of men.

The following data are available in Data Cube 1, Table 1.6.

The gender composition of the workforce aged 20–74 years old differs across occupations and industries.

In 2019-20, managers are almost twice as likely to be men (61.4%) than women (38.6%).

In 2019–20, the female dominated occupations with the highest proportion of women remain unchanged over the last decade:

• Clerical and administrative workers (72.7%)
• Community and personal service workers (70.3%)
• Sales workers (58.1%).

Those occupations with the highest proportion of men in 2019-20 have remained unchanged from the previous year, though over the last decade Labourers have replaced Managers as the third most male dominated occupation:

• Machinery operators and drivers (89.3%)
• Technicians and trades workers (83.8%)
• Labourers (65.5%).

The following data are available in Data Cube 1, Table 1.3.

The industries with the highest proportions of women and men have remained consistent over the past decade.

In 2019–20, the industries with the highest proportion of women aged 20-74 were:

• Health care and social assistance (77.9%)
• Education and training (71.6%)
• Retail trade (55.2%)
• Accommodation and food services (54.5%)
• Administrative and support services (52.9%)

In 2019–20, the industries with the highest proportion of men aged 20-74 were:

• Construction (87.3%)
• Mining (83.0%)
• Transport, postal and warehousing (79.8%)
• Electricity, gas, water and waste services (76.2%)
• Manufacturing (72.5%)

The following data are available in Data Cube 1, Tables 1.9, 1.10 and 1.12.

For those aged 20-74 years, employed women (43.0%) are more likely than men (16.0%) to be working part-time in 2019–20. This is the situation across all age groups.

The differences in part-time working arrangements were most pronounced for parents with dependent children:

• For parents whose youngest child was under six, three in five employed mothers (59.1%) worked part-time compared to less than one in ten employed fathers (7.9%)
• For parents whose youngest child was aged 6-14 years, close to half of all employed mothers (47.7%) worked part-time, compared to less than one in ten employed fathers (8.7%).

In 2019-20, the average number of hours worked by both women and men working part-time was the same (17.7 hours per week). However, for those working full-time, women (36.2 hours) worked fewer hours on average than men (39.8 hours).

In 2019, around the same proportion of female (21.2%) and male (18.3%) employees aged 20-74 years did not have paid leave entitlements.

When considering all employees aged 15 years and over, women (26.4%) are more likely to work in casual jobs than men (22.5%) based upon access to paid leave entitlements. For women, those aged 15-34 years were the most likely to be employed casually (36.3%). For men, those aged 65 years or older were most likely to be employed casually (38.1%).

The following data are available in Data Cube 1, Tables 1.14, 1.15 and 1.16.

In 2019–20, the unemployment rate was similar for women and men aged 20–74 years old (4.8% females and 4.9% males).

In 2019-20, the highest unemployment rates for both women and men were in the younger age groups:

• 15-19 years, with females 16.1% and males 19.9%
• 20-24 years, with females 8.6% and males 10.6%.

The lowest rates of unemployment for women under 65 years in 2019-20 were between 40 and 59 years:

• 40-44 years, 4.1% unemployment rate
• 45-49 years, 3.9% unemployment rate
• 50-54 years, 3.9% unemployment rate
• 55-59 years, 3.8% unemployment rate.

In comparison, the lowest rates of unemployment for men aged under 65 years in 2019-20 were between 30 and 49 years:

• 30-34 years, 3.9% unemployment rate
• 35-39 years, 3.9% unemployment rate
• 40-44 years, 3.7% unemployment rate
• 45-49 years, 4.0% unemployment rate.

For parents aged 20-74 years, with a dependent child under six years, the unemployment rate for mothers (5.3%) is almost double that of fathers (2.8%).

In 2019-20, for those aged 20-74 years, the underemployment rate for women was 10.3% and for men was 7.2%. This represents people in the labour force who wanted, and were available for, more hours of work than they currently had.

Adding people who are either unemployed or underemployed together creates an underutilised labour force population, from which an underutilisation rate can be derived. The labour force underutilisation rate in Australia in 2019–20 for those aged 20–74 years old was higher for women (15.1%) than it was for men (12.1%).

The following data are available in Data Cube 1, Table 1.17.

In 2019-20, a third of women (32.4%) and just over one in five men (21.9%) aged 20–74 years old were not in the labour force.

The largest difference between men and women was for people aged between 30 and 39 years where women were around three times more likely than men to be out of the labour force:

• 30-34 years, 22.2% of women compared with 8.3% men
• 35–39 years, 22.5% of women compared with 7.4% men.

This may reflect the age group of women more likely to be having children, and taking a major role in their care, since the median age of mothers at birth in 2019 was 31.5 years, as detailed in Births, Australia, 2019.

The following data are available in Data Cube 2, Table 2.5.

In May 2020, women's full time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings were 86% of that of men. This ratio is the same as that in May 2019. This represents a gender pay gap (GPG) of 14%.

The GPG measures the relative position of women and men in the economy. For further discussion on the gender pay gap see the following articles:

• Understanding measures of the gender pay gap, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Gender Indicators article, 23 January 2019.
• The gender pay gap, Workplace Gender Equality Agency.
• The national gender pay gap is now 14.0%, Workplace Gender Equality Agency.

The key findings for Education are:

1. Women are more likely than men to have attained a Bachelor degree or above qualification.
2. For graduates of most fields of study, females are paid less than their male counterparts. In 2020, the field study with the largest difference was Dentistry ($79,300 for females compared to $90,000 for males).
    

The detailed data supporting the following insights are available from the Data downloads section of this publication:

• Data Cube 4: Education - Attainment
• Data Cube 5: Education - Participation and Education & employment.
   

The following data are available in Data Cube 4, Table 4.1.

In 2020, around 4 in 5 people aged 15 to 64 years had attained Year 12 or a formal qualification at Certificate II or above (80.8% of females and 79.4% of males).

In 2020, for those aged 20-24 years:

• 92.5% of women compared to 87.5% of men had attained Year 12 or a formal qualification of Certificate II or above.
• 48.0% of women compared to 39.0% of men had a formal qualification at Certificate II or above.

Over the past 10 years, there has generally been increases in attainment of a formal qualification of Certificate of II or above for all age groups, with the increase most notable for women aged between 35 and 49 years:

• 35-39 years, a 16.5% increase between 2010 and 2020 (62.7% to 79.2%)
• 40-44 years, a 15.8% increase between 2010 and 2020 (59.2% to 75.0%)
• 45-49 years, a 11.5% increase between 2010 and 2020 (58.2% to 69.7%).

The following data are available in Data Cube 4, Table 4.3.

For people aged 18-64 years in 2020, around 3 in 5 women (62.4%) and men (60.6%) had attained a formal qualification of Certificate III or above.

In 2020, more women (72.2%) then men (65.4%) aged 25-29 years had attained a formal qualification of Certificate III or above. 

In 2010, for those aged 25-29 years, women and men had around the same level of attainment for Certificate III or above. Women have since increased their attainment levels for Certificate III or above, while men’s attainment has remained around the same:

• Women increased from 63.2% in 2010 to 72.2% in 2020
• Men remained around the same at 62.1% in 2010 and 65.4% in 2020.

The following data are available in Data Cube 4, Table 4.5.

In 2020, women are more likely to have a Bachelor Degree or above than men in all age categories. For those aged 25-29 years, around half of women (48.3%) and around a third of men (36.1%) had attained a Bachelor Degree or above.

Over the past decade, the proportion of people aged 18-64 years old in Australia with a Bachelor Degree or above has increased for both men and women. However, it has increased at a higher rate for women:

• Attainment for women increased 10.7% (from 26.4% in 2010 to 37.1% in 2020)
• Attainment for men increased 7.0% (from 22.4% in 2010 to 29.4% in 2020).

In 2020, the age group with the highest level of attainment of Bachelor Degree or above differed between women and men. The age group with the highest level of attainment for each sex was:

• 30-34 years for women (50.1%)
• 35-44 years for men (39.8%).

The following data are available in Data Cube 4, Table 4.7.

Around two-thirds of people aged 15-64 years had attained a non-school qualification in 2020: 64.3% of females compared to 62.7% of males. This is the highest rate for attainment of a non-school qualification for both women and men over the last decade.

The highest levels of non-school qualifications for women in 2020 were:

• Bachelor degree (22.7%)
• Certificate III/IV (13.1%)
• Advanced Diploma/Diploma (11.1%)
• Postgraduate Degree (8.5%).

The highest levels of non-school qualifications for men in 2020 were:

• Certificate III/IV (20.8%)
• Bachelor degree (17.5%)
• Advanced Diploma/Diploma (8.8%)
• Postgraduate Degree (7.9%).

The following data are available in Data Cube 4, Tables 4.10 and 4.11.

The main fields of non-school qualifications have remained consistent for both females and males over the past 10 years.

In 2020, the top three main fields of non-school qualification for women were:

• Management and commerce (26.9%)
• Society and culture (19.9%)
• Health (16.5%).

In 2020, the top three main fields of non-school qualifications for men were:

• Engineering and related technologies (28.4%)
• Management and commerce (20.5%)
• Architecture and building (10.9%).

While there are more women (16.5%) than men (5.5%) with a Health qualification, there are significantly less women (12.6%) than men (25.3%) with Postgraduate Health qualifications.

In the field of Engineering and related technologies more women than men who have a qualification in this field have a Postgraduate Degree (women 15.9% and men 5.9%) or a Bachelor Degree (women 38.7%, men 19.0%). The majority of men have a Certificate III/IV qualification (women 23.3%, men 53.7%). However, men overall have a much larger share of the total qualifications in this field (144,400 women compared with 1,466,600 men).

Similarly, women with a qualification in the field of Architecture and building tend to have higher level qualifications. Of women with a qualification in this field, 23.2% have a Postgraduate Degree (compared with 2.0% of men) and 36.9% a Bachelor Degree (compared with 7.6% of men). The majority of men have a Certificate III/IV qualification (women 15.2%, men 70.4%). However, men overall also have a much larger share of the total qualifications in this field (77,700 women compared with 563,900 men).

The following data are available in Data Cube 5, Table 5.3.

In 2019, the apparent retention rate from Year 7/8 to Year 12 was higher for females (88.6%) than males (79.6%). This rate has improved over the past decade. In 2009, this rate was 81.4% for females and 70.8% for males.

The following data are available in Data Cube 5, Table 5.7.

In 2020, enrolments in an apprenticeship or traineeship for males (13.7%) aged 15-24 years were almost seven times higher than that of females (2.0%).

The following data are available in Data Cube 5, Table 5.13.

In 2020, around the same proportions of women (30.1%) and men (27.8%) aged 20-24 years were not fully engaged in education and/or employment. This is the highest value for males over the past decade, and nearly the highest for females.

For those aged 15-19 years who were not fully engaged in education and/or employment in 2020, females (13.5%) had a lower engagement rate than males (15.3%). For females, this is the highest rate since 2011. For males, this equals the previous highest rate over the past decade, which occurred in 2010.

The following data are available in Data Cube 5, Table 5.15.

In 2020, the median starting salary for female undergraduates was $63,400 compared to $65,000 for male undergraduates. While a disparity has consistently remained, the median starting salary increased at a higher rate for female undergraduates ($7,000) from 2016 compared to males ($5,000).

The top five study areas with the highest median starting salary in 2020 were the same for both females and males:

• Dentistry
• Medicine
• Engineering
• Social Work
• Teacher education.

Across all but four study areas, female undergraduates were paid less than male graduates. The field study with the largest difference was Dentistry ($79,300 for females compared to $90,000 for males).

The key findings for Health are:

1. Women are expected to live 4.1 years longer than men, though the gap is narrowing.  In 1965-67, the gap was 6.6 years.
2. In 2019, dementia remained the leading cause of death for women, where it has been ranked since overtaking Ischaemic heart disease in 2017. Dementia has now overtaken lung cancer as the second leading cause of death (following Ischaemic heart disease) for males.

The detailed data supporting the following insights are available from the Data downloads section of this publication:

• Data Cube 7: Health - Health status
• Data Cube 8: Health - Deaths
• Data Cube 9: Health - Risk factors and Services.
   

The following data are available in Data Cube 7, Table 7.1.

Life expectancy at birth is greater for Australian females than males, however male life expectancy is improving at a faster rate than that of females:

• In 2017-19, life expectancy at birth for females was 85.0 years compared with 80.9 years for males: a gap of 4.1 years
• Around 50 years ago (1965-67), life expectancy for females was 74.2 years compared with 67.6 years for males: a gap of 6.6 years.

According to Life Expectancy at Birth in Life Tables, States, Territories and Australia, 2017-19, reasons for improvements in life expectancy include:

• Improved health services
• Safer working environments
• Advances in medicine and technology.

The following data are available in Data Cube 7, Table 7.6.

Females reported disability at a lower rate (15.7%) than men (16.5%) in 2018.

The following data are available in Data Cube 8, Table 8.2.

For females, dementia remained the leading cause of death, where it has been ranked since overtaking Ischaemic heart disease in 2017. Dementia has now overtaken lung cancer as the second leading cause of death (following Ischaemic heart disease) for males in 2019.

The number of deaths due to dementia has been increasing consistently over the last 10 years for both females and males. Since 2009, the age-standardised death rate for dementia has increased by 36.0% for females and 31.8% for males, to reach 46.1 and 38.1 deaths per 100,000 people for females and males, respectively in 2019.

The following data are available in Data Cube 8, Table 8.8.

In 2019, men (19.8%) had an age-standardised death rate from suicide three times higher than that of women (6.3%). The age-specific death rate from suicide was highest for women in the 35-44 age group (9.4%) and highest for men in the 85 and over age group (32.3%).

The key findings for Work and Family Balance are:

1. In 2018-19, 93.5% of primary parental leave (paid or unpaid) was taken by women in the non-public sector.
2. Proportionally, managers are much more likely than those in non-managerial positions in the non-public sector to access parental leave.
3. In 2018, more than double the number of women (618,800) than men (241,900) provided primary care to a person with a disability.
4. Female volunteering decreased from around four in ten in 2010 to three in ten in 2019.

The following data are available in Data Cube 10, Table 10.3.

The data discussed in this section refers to non-public organisations with 100 or more employees. Under the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012, non-public sector employers with 100 or more employees must report annually to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) on the gender composition of their workforce.

WGEA defines primary parental leave as leave taken by a member of a couple or a single carer, regardless of gender, identified as having greater responsibility for the day-to-day care of a child. Secondary parental leave is defined as leave taken by a member of a couple or a single carer, regardless of gender, who is not the primary carer. Primary parental leave is the type of leave most likely to affect people's career trajectories.

In 2018–19, for non-public sector employees:

• 93.5% of primary parental leave (paid or unpaid) was taken by women
• 96.1% of secondary parental leave (paid or unpaid) was taken by men. 

Proportionally, managers in the non-public sector were more likely than non-managers to use primary parental leave in 2018-19:

• Around one in 15 women who were managers in the non-public sector accessed primary parental leave (a rate of 6.8 per 100)
• Around one in 24 women in non-managerial positions in the non-public sector accessed primary parental leave (a rate of 4.1 per 100)
• Around one in 167 men who were managers in the non-public sector accessed primary parental leave (a rate of 0.6 per 100)
• Around one in 333 men in non-managerial positions in the non-public sector accessed primary parental leave (a rate of 0.3 per 100).

Overall, more than 96,100 women employed in the non-public sector used some form of parental leave in 2018-19 compared with just over 38,300 men.

The following data are available in Data Cube 10, Table 10.4.

In 2018, 6.1% of women (618,800) provided primary care to a person with a disability, compared to 2.5% of men (241,900).

Women (45.7%) were more likely than men (41.9%) to be employed and providing primary care to a person with disability.

The following data are available in Data Cube 10, Table 10.10.

For people aged 18 years and over, the total rate of volunteering through an organisation has declined since 2010. For persons aged 18 years and over, the volunteering rate has declined from 36.2% in 2010, to 30.9% in 2014 and to 28.8% in 2019. The decline has been most evident for females, whose rate decreased from 38.1% in 2010 to 28.1% in 2019.

The following data are available in Data Cube 10, Table 10.9.

In 2019, there was a similar proportion of women (78.5%) and men (76.6%) reporting above average life satisfaction.

The key findings for Safety and Justice are:

1. In 2019, recorded crimes data showed women were five times more likely to be victims of sexual assault than men.
2. Over the past decade, illicit drug offences have continued as the leading principal serious offence for women, and experienced the largest increase in most serious offence for both women and men.

The following data are available in Data Cube 12, Tables 12.5 and 12.7.

In 2018-19, females (4.4%) aged 15 years or older were less likely than males (5.2%) aged 15 years or older to have experienced physical or threatened physical assault in the past 12 months.

However, for the 15-19 years age group in 2018-19, females (8.7%) were as likely as males (8.0%) to have experienced physical or threatened physical assault in the past 12 months.

The following data are available in Data Cube 12, Table 12.8.

In 2019, the number of recorded incidents of female victims of sexual assault was more than five times higher than that for males:

• 174.8 per 100,000 females
• 34.8 per 100,000 males.

Over the past decade, these rates have increased for both women (143.8 per 100,000 females in 2010) and men (26.1 per 100,000 males in 2010), with there continuing to be a disproportionately higher rate of women who were victims of sexual assault.

The following data are available in Data Cube 12, Table 12.11.

In 2019, 7.4% of sentenced prisoners were female (2,117 females compared to 26,605 males).

As at 30 June 2019, a higher proportion of female sentenced prisoners than male sentenced prisoners had a most serious offence of:

• Illicit drug offences (22.5% compared to 14.1%)
• Fraud, deception and related offences (8.8% compared to 1.7%)
• Theft and related offences (7.7% and 3.2%).

As at 30 June 2019, a higher proportion of male sentenced prisoners than female sentenced prisoners had a most serious offence of:

• Sexual assault and related offences (15.9% compared to 1.9%)
• Acts intended to cause injury (18.5% compared to 13.5%).

From 2009 to 2019 the most notable changes in the proportions of female sentenced prisoners by most serious offence were:

• Illicit drug offences increased from 16.1% to 22.5%
• Unlawful entry with intent increased from 7.0% to 11.0%
• Fraud, deception and related offences decreased from 12.7% to 8.8%
• Theft and related offences decreased from 10.8% to 7.7%.

From 2009 to 2019 the most notable changes in the proportion of male sentenced prisoners by most serious offence were for:

• Illicit drug offences, up from 9.8% of male sentenced prisoners to 14.1%
• Robbery, extortion and related offences, down from 9.5% to 7.3%.

The key findings for Democracy, Governance and Citizenship are:

1. Only 17.1% of CEO positions in the non-public sector were occupied by women in 2018-19. This proportion has not improved from 2017-18.
2. The public sector female leadership representation has improved, with women occupying 48.6% of senior leadership roles and outnumbering men in middle management roles (52.2%) for the second consecutive year.
3. For the first time in Australia’s history, there was equal representation between men and women parliamentarians in the Senate as of 1 January 2020. However, women still comprise only three in ten federal parliamentarians in the House of Representatives.
4. As of 30 June 2020, 37% of Commonwealth Justices and Judges were women, the highest proportion over the past decade.

The following data are available in Data Cube 13, Tables 13.1 and 13.2.

The data discussed in this section refers to non-public sector organisations with 100 or more employees. Under the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012, non-public sector employers with 100 or more employees must report annually to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) on the gender composition of their workforce.

Female leadership roles in the non-public sector have increased over the past six years, though a considerable gap remains:

In 2018-19, more than 4 in 5 Chief Executive Officer (CEO) roles in the non-public sector were occupied by men (82.9%). While the proportion of female CEOs had increased by 1.4 percentage points between 2013-14 to 2017-18, the rate (17.1%) stayed the same between 2017-18 to 2018-19.

In 2018-19, the industries with the largest proportions of female CEO’s were:

• Health care and social assistance (41.4% of CEOs were female)
• Education and training (35.8% of CEOs were female).

Between 2013-14 and 2018-19, the industries with the largest increases in the proportion of women in CEO positions were:

• Arts and Recreation Services (9.1 percentage points increase)
• Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services (7.8 percentage points increase).

The following data are available in Data Cube 13, Table 13.6.

Over the decade to 30 June 2020, the proportion of female senior and middle managers in the Australian Public Service has been increasing:

• 48.6% of Senior Executive Service (SES) managers were women, up from 37.2% in 2010
• The proportion of women (52.2%) in Executive Level (EL) positions has surpassed men (47.8%) for the second year in a row.

This section presents information from data provided to the ABS by the Australian Commonwealth Parliamentary Library.

In January 2019, three in ten federal parliamentarians in the House of Representatives were women and almost two in five federal parliamentarians in the Senate were women. Over the last decade, the proportion of female federal parliamentarians in the House of Representatives has increased slowly. Levels of female representation in the Senate has remained largely unchanged since 2012. However, over the last decade, the average proportion of women has been consistently higher in the Senate (38.2%) than in the House of Representatives (26.8%).

One in five (20.0%) Federal Government Ministers and over a quarter (26.1% ) of Federal Government Cabinet Ministers were women, as of January 1, 2019.

The following data are available in Data Cube 13, Table 13.7.

As of 30 June 2020, 37% of Commonwealth Justices and Judges were women, the highest proportion over the past decade, comprising 61 women and 104 men.

There are less female than male Justices and Judges in each of the High Court, Federal Court, Family Court, Federal Circuit Court and State Supreme Courts/Courts of Appeal, as of 30 June 2020:

This release previously used catalogue number 4125.0.

16/12/2020 - No data has been amended.

1. Added Key statistics section.
2. Replaced 'then' with 'than' in Safety and justice Key findings #1.
3. Replaced 'Key finding' with 'Key findings' as a heading in Work and family balance section.