Over a third, or 36%, of women in Australia have indicated that they felt marginalised or discriminated against in the workplace because of their gender, according to research from Michael Page.

Michael Page added that this figure is supported by Australia being ranked the least safe place to work in for women (35%) in the Asia Pacific average, followed by India (25%) and then Taiwan (23%).

The research also shows that females in Australia want equal rights at work with a significant 60% of respondents feeling that it is important to place more effort on getting women into leadership positions. The report states that the more employees feel empowered, the more productivity levels go up.

According to Michael Page, the research shows that Australia has to work on having more of a ‘People-first Company Culture’.

Senior Managing Director of Michael Page Australia, Sharmini Wainwright said, “With the workforce returning post-pandemic, employers need to acknowledge and act on the cultural transformation which has led to mindset shifts around work, life priorities and mental well-being. Remember that culture needs monitoring and adjusting over time, how business leaders manage this will impact their commercial success as an organisation.”

Michael Page’s research also suggests that DE&I is not simply evaluated from the impact it has on previously or currently marginalised groups but has become a benchmark for how committed a company is to their culture, purpose, values and general attitude towards the well-being of their employees. To support this, 33% of research respondents in Australia would stop a job interview process if there was a lack of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) commitment.
In addition to the findings, Australians who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community do not feel comfortable being their ‘authentic selves’ at work. Two out of 5 believe they would have more success in their careers if they identified as straight and/or cis gender. Meanwhile 63% of employees in Australia believe that more should be done in their workplace to promote acceptance and equality for LGBTQIA+ people.