It’s encouraging to see that these collective efforts are beginning to make a difference.

The Commission for Gender Equality in the Public Sector’s newly released longitudinal data, tracking progress since the introduction of the Gender Equality Act in 2020, highlights some important gains:

✅ More women are working in senior leadership roles
✅ Gender pay gaps have narrowed in many organisations, including traditionally male-dominated industries and occupations
✅ More men are taking up flexible work and parental leave
✅ More women are entering traditionally male-dominated occupations and industries

At the same time, the data is a reminder that significant challenges remain:

➡️ The sector-wide gender pay gap persists, with every industry still showing a pay gap in favour of men
➡️ Sexual harassment continues to be experienced across workplaces, with survey results indicating a substantial gap between incidents experienced and those formally recorded
➡️ Gender diverse employees continue to face the greatest barriers to workplace equality

Perhaps one of Victoria’s greatest strengths is that we now have one of the most comprehensive evidence bases on workplace gender equality in the country. With this data, organisations can better understand where progress is occurring, where barriers remain, and where effort should be focused next.

We look forward to working with more organisations to design a more gender equal future in Victoria.