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.

Related Publications

See All
The contented Australian female worker: Paradox lost, paradox found Michael Dockery In a seminal 1997 paper, Andrew Clark observed that British women report higher job satisfaction than their male counterparts, despite generally holding inferior jobs. To become known as the ‘paradox of the contented female worker’, Clark argued this was due... Read article 4 June 2024Journal Articles Read More
Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre Annual Report 2023 Alan Duncan, Caroline Stewart 2023 was another busy year for the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC). BCEC’s publications were widely read with almost 7,000 downloads. Media mentioning BCEC was widely consumed, reaching nearly 20 million people across television, print, radio and online. Thematically, housing... Read article 1 May 2024Annual Report Read More
BCEC Monthly Labour Market Update – February 2024 Michael Dockery, Alan Duncan — Employment jumps by 116,500 workers in February, or 0.8 per cent in a single month. — — Headline unemployment rate tumbles back to 3.7 per cent, down from 4.1 per cent in January. — — Robust labour market erodes... Read article 27 March 2024Monthly Labour Market Update Read More
Employment and disability in Australia: Improving employment outcomes for people with disability Alex Buckland, Michael Dockery, Alan Duncan, Valentina Sanchez Arenas, Panagiotis Sotirakopoulos, Chris Twomey, Lili Loan Vu Employment and disability in Australia, the tenth report in the BCEC Focus on the States series, looks at improving employment outcomes for people with disability in Australia. The report reveals that there has been no improvement in employment rates for people... Read article 13 March 2024BCEC Reports  |  Focus on The States Read More
Easy Read: Employment and disability in Australia This is a research report from the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre. We wanted to do this research to make things better for people with disability to get a job. We also wanted to find out what is being done now... Read article 13 March 2024BCEC Reports  |  Focus on The States Read More
BCEC Monthly Labour Market Update – November 2023 Alan Duncan, Michael Dockery – Surprise pre-Christmas jump in full-time employment: up by 0.6% in November – – Participation rate leaps to 67.2 per cent, 0.2ppt – – MYEFO projections banking on deteriorating jobs growth in coming quarters – Jobs figures strong, but estimates... Read article 18 December 2023Monthly Labour Market Update Read More