Gender and Diversity

The gender income and wealth gap remains a persistent issue of policy concern, despite long-run increases in women’s participation in tertiary education and employment, and advancements in policies promoting gender equity in Australia. Existing BCEC research highlights significant gender pay gaps in the workplace, which in turn can exacerbate other forms of gender inequity such as slowing the rate of accumulation of superannuation wealth, increased reliance on government income support over the life course, and increased exposure to poverty in old age. Research under this theme sheds light on issues that affect gender equity in WA and nationally, including gender pay and wealth gaps, women’s representation in senior leadership, occupational segregation, the effects of informal care roles on employment outcomes and gendered differences in age discrimination in labour markets.

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The costs and benefits of implementing a universal reproductive health leave entitlement in Australia Alan Duncan, Abebe Hailemariam, Silvia Salazar, Panagiotis Sotirakopoulos The Health Services Union (HSU), the Health and Community Services Union (HACSU), the Queensland Council of Unions (QCU) and Aware Super have engaged the services of the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) to assess the cost of implementing a universal... Read article 9 April 2025Research Reports Read More
Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre Annual Report 2024 Alan Duncan, Caroline Stewart, Joanna Holcombe In 2024, the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre made significant strides in building its national reputation while continuing to address key economic and social issues in Western Australia. Our research and policy advice gained greater visibility and influence at both state... Read article 7 April 2025Annual Report Read More
BCEC Monthly Labour Market Update – February 2025 Michael Dockery, Alan Duncan — Surprise 52,800 drop in the number of persons employed. — — Unemployment rate remains at 4.1 per cent thanks to big drop in participation. — — Direction of labour market difficult to read amidst volatility and revisions to previous... Read article 23 March 2025Monthly Labour Market Update Read More
Youth in Focus: Navigating wellbeing in a changing world Michael Dockery, Alan Duncan, Astghik Mavisakalyan, Valentina Sanchez Arenas, Chris Twomey, Lili Loan Vu Youth in Focus: Navigating wellbeing in a changing world, the eleventh report in the BCEC Focus on the States series, provides a comprehensive analysis of the priorities and perspectives of young Australians, offering key insights to shape future policy development.... Read article 13 March 2025Focus on The States Read More
Executive Summary: Youth in Focus: Navigating wellbeing in a changing world Michael Dockery, Alan Duncan, Astghik Mavisakalyan, Valentina Sanchez Arenas, Chris Twomey, Lili Loan Vu This Executive Summary is a printable summary of the key findings and recommendations from the BCEC report, Youth in Focus: Navigating wellbeing in a changing world, which provides a comprehensive analysis of the priorities and perspectives of young Australians, offering... Read article 13 March 2025Focus on The States Read More
Presentation: Youth in Focus: Navigating wellbeing in a changing world Astghik Mavisakalyan, Michael Dockery View the slides from Youth in Focus: Navigating wellbeing in a changing world report launch, presented by Professor Astghik Mavisakalyan and Professor Mike Dockery on March 13 at Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. About the report The eleventh report in... Read article 13 March 2025Presentations Read More