For those seeking a clear picture of gender balance in Australia’s evolving workspace, we have some great news! Our study, “Small Scale Predictive Analysis of Gender Balance in Australia Using Grey Models: Integrating Labour Force and Migration Data” provides valuable labour market insight. We explore gender equity and the interplay between the Australian labour market and overseas migration. Powerful predictive analytics tools are deployed to that end to forecast trends.

Our goal in this study was: how can we better understand and, more importantly, how can we measure gender balance by considering both labour force and overseas diaspora?

Understanding the dynamics on gender balance is crucial for both businesses and policy makers. In order to build more equitable and diverse workplaces, and ever-present issues of gender discrimination, it is necessary to have a holistic picture of the spaces we work. Let’s see how this works….

How do we calculate the gender balance?

We came up with our Gender Balance (GB) index to measure the gender disparity between women and men for each Australian state. This formula consists of two parts: one from migration data, and one from labour force data.

Here’s what that looks like:

To come up with this, we first looked at how balanced men and women migration is across Australia on a wide scale. We then adjusted it based on whether specific states had more men or women migrating over the years 2004-2022.

Next, we did the same for labour force data: we considered the overall balance of men and women in the national labour market, and then adjusted it depending on the labour force difference divided by gender lines in specific states, over the same years.

In adding the results together, our Gender Balance index gives us a score between –1 and 1. For those who aren’t into maths, just remember this quick rule:

The closer the score to 1, the higher the chance that women have fewer opportunities compared to men in both migration and the labour market. On the other hand, if the score is closer to 0, that’s the sweet spot – it means there’s good balance between genders!

What we found from measuring gender balance in each state?

Way back in 2004, we noticed Western Australia (WA) as a stand-out with the highest Gender Balance index score – unfortunately, this suggests fewer opportunity for women in migration or employment opportunities. The story in WA starts to change in 2016 onwards, with the gender gap growing narrower – showing more female presence (you can check out the year-on-year index in the paper itself).

Contrary to this, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has had a consistently lower index, closer to 0, demonstrating a more balanced gender representation, especially when compared to other states and territories.

All in all, it’s definitely encouraging to see that in every state the gender gap is becoming narrower, with the decreasing Gender Balance Index pointing towards progress in creating more equal opportunity.

Why should it matter to leaders?

For those working towards equity in any capacity, this data is important. It allows us to make predictions for gender balance state-by-state, and excitingly, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Tasmania (TAS) and Queensland (QLD) all show promising progress towards closing the gap by 2026!

In more sobering news, the largest states, New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria (VIC), are now lagging behind in progress. This reasons for this are complex – stemming from varied job markets, the impact of immigration policies, and cultural or social norms.

This is super important to know – it tells us that we need to dig deeper in order to understand what works, and what doesn’t, in terms of gender balance. Practically, it means we need smart, targeted plans – after all, what works in the ACT may not work in NSW.

Here are some strategies you can use:

• Share Success Stories from Balanced Regions: If your company has teams or locations with better gender balance (potentially aligned with trends in ACT, TAS, QLD), share those success stories internally to inspire and inform practices in NSW and VIC.
• Monitor Regional Representation Within Your Company: Track the gender breakdown of your workforce in different office locations or remote teams, paying specific attention to representation in NSW and VIC compared to regions like the ACT, TAS, and QLD.
• Transparent Progression to Counter NSW/VIC Trends: Implement and clearly communicate transparent promotion processes, especially in NSW and VIC, to ensure women perceive fair opportunities for advancement, addressing the slower overall progress in these states.
• Highlight Flexibility to Attract in Slower Regions: Promote flexible work arrangements more heavily in your recruitment efforts targeting NSW and VIC, as this can be a key differentiator in attracting women in regions where traditional workplace structures might present more barriers.

Looking on the bright side, the Gender Balance Index could prove to be a great metrics for companies looking to see how they’re tracking on gender equality. It works best, of course, when you have plenty of data available, and results will vary depending on this.

On a final note, while Australia has definitely progressed in some areas, we do still have a way to go to make sure all of us have the same opportunities across the country. This application of predictive models and the Gender Balance Index may help to offer valuable insights, and therefore make better decisions.