Gender equity insights

Gender inclusive practices and work-life balance in Australian Universities

December 2022

This 2022 report commissioned by Universities Australia found that women continue to be underrepresented in senior and executive-level positions in Australian universities. Women are overrepresented at academic levels A and B but underrepresented at level C and above, with the disparity growing the more senior the positions.

Only 24% of Vice-Chancellors are women (9), a decrease from 2016. And men continue to heavily outnumber women in Deputy Vice-Chancellor and senior executive professional roles.

Hamilton, M; Williams, A; Baird, M (2022) Gender inclusive practices and work-life balance in Australian Universities. A Report for Universities Australia. University of Sydney: Sydney.

Universities Australia 2019 Inter-Institutional Gender Equity Statistics

July 2020

• In more than half of Australian Universities, less than 50% of staff at HEW 10 and above were women, with the lowest being 36%. (p7 figure 3). In a third of universities this rate worsened from 2015 to 2019.
• At a sector-level average only 34.9% of academic staff at level D and above were women. At level E and above the proportion decreased to just 30.3%.
• Only five universities had more than 50% women at academic level D. And the highest level of representation of women at level E was only 44%

Published by Universities Australia (July 2020): 2019-UA-Selected-Inter-Institutional-Gender-Equity-Statistics.pdf (universitiesaustralia.edu.au)