The Index measures the current state of gender equality at work in Australia and tracks changes over time.
It assesses the gender gap across seven key dimensions of workplace gender equality, using at least two measures for each dimension. These dimensions are informed by academic evidence on the drivers of labour market outcomes for Australian women and men.
| Dimension | Measure Are men and women equal in ..? |
|---|---|
| Participation | Labour force participation Employment underutilisation |
| Pay | Hourly earnings Weekly earnings |
| Hours | Working hours Domestic work hours Parental leave |
| Stratification | Representation in lower paid jobs Employment in senior and executive roles Working in jobs below skill level |
| Segmentation | Employment across industries Employment across occupations |
| Security | Casual employment Income stability |
| Safety | Sexual harassment at work Workplace injury |
Each measure is calculated by comparing the outcomes of women and men and is expressed as either a parity ratio or a dissimilarity measure that show how close women and men are to being equal.
The Index and each dimension is expressed as a value between 0 and 100 where 100 indicates equality between women and men. The lower the score, the further Australia is from gender equality at work.
The Index is constructed using measures derived from large-scale, publicly available and nationally representative data that are collected regularly. Data used in the Index is from 2014–2024.
The Index provides governments, businesses, unions and the community with a reliable annual measure of how Australia is progressing on gender equality at work, and change over time. It serves as a diagnostic tool to identify areas where gender equality is stalled and highlights where additional action and investment could drive improvements.