Fewer than 1 in 4 Australians work in a gender-balanced occupation. Fixing it is in all our interests

Mon, 1 Sep 2025 17:26:04 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/fewer-than-1-in-4-australians-work-in-a-gender-balanced-occupation-fixing-it-is-in-all-our-interests-264130>

"Australia’s workforce is almost evenly split between men and women. Yet fewer
than one in four Australians work in a gender-balanced occupation.

This has improved over time, but at a glacial rate. In 1990, more than half of
men (52%) worked in occupations that were more than 80% male. Thirty-five years
on, that figure has only declined to 41% of men.

Meanwhile, the share of women in female-dominated occupations (which are more
than 60% female) has largely hovered between 60% to 65% since the mid-1990s.

This also holds true within industries. Fewer than half of all employees are in
gender-balanced industries, and three of the five industries with the largest
workforces – health care and social assistance, construction, and education and
training – have become even more segregated since 1990.

Between 2006 and 2021, just one in five occupations became less segregated.

Why does it matter? Turns out, it’s bad for workers, businesses and the
economy."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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