Australian Workforce Continues to be Heavily Segregated by Gender
A report by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency has revealed that gender segregation is still rife in the workplace. According to the results, women comprise 80% of the health care and social assistance industries. By comparison, men are more evenly distributed throughout sectors. While women were least represented in construction and mining, the gap between their presence in the workforce and that in management roles was most evident in industries such as agriculture, forestry and fishing. Marian Baird, a professor of employment relations at the University of Sydney, explained this as being the result of a number of factors. For example, educational qualifications and social attitudes played a large part, as there appears to be a “strong tradition in women’s gender roles being related to service”. Interestingly, Professor Baird noted that one factor was the shift to part-time work. She explained that, “given the lack of childcare services in Australia, women may be choosing jobs that provide shorter… and more predictable hours”. Senior scientist at the University of Melbourne, Natalie Hannan, agreed, saying that women were drawn to the health sector because of the flexibility in working hours, which enabled them to “balance their family and working life”.
