Presentation: Gender Equity Insights 2025: The power of balance

View the slides by lead author Professor Alan Duncan, Director, Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, from the launch of the report Gender Equity Insights 2025: The power of balance.

About the report

The tenth report in the BCEC|WGEA Gender Equity Insights series makes the case that gender equity is not simply a matter of fairness. Organisations that achieve balanced leadership are more likely to outperform their peers in company value, profitability and resilience. Gender balance delivers better decision making, stronger innovation, and enhanced capacity to navigate shocks. The challenge is to sustain momentum, expand balance beyond boards into executive leadership, and redesign occupational pipelines to embed equity throughout Australia’s workforce. Our key findings include:

• Workforce balance: Just 27.3% of organisations are gender balanced (40:40:20). Service industries are leading, while construction, mining and manufacturing remain heavily male-dominated.
• Leadership divide: Boards are nearing parity, but CEO and executive shares have plateaued at around 25%. Only a quarter of organisations have balanced leadership teams.
• Pathways under pressure: Female appointment rates are higher in some industries, but resignation rates for women in health, retail and agriculture are eroding gains.
• Pay gaps: Many occupations now show gaps within ±5 per cent, but structural segregation across industries and roles remains the major driver of inequality.
• Business Performance: Firms with gender-balanced leadership achieve stronger market value and profitability, underlining the economic as well as social case for equity.

Read the full report here or watch the report launch recording here.