Working women more educated but not more respected

Young Australian women are still fighting for equal pay, respect and opportunities in the workforce, according to a new report from researchers at the University of Sydney and The Australian National University (ANU). It found the second dataset collected for the Australian Women's Working Futures Project saw little progress since the first survey in 2017, despite social movements such as #MeToo and the significant workforce disruption of COVID-19 in the intervening years. Professor Rae Cooper AO, from the University of Sydney, said the findings paint a picture of frustration for women still striving for the same opportunities as their male colleagues. "Women are telling us they are sick of being spoken down to and passed over for opportunities. Legislation is important, but it's not enough - we need to think about the systemic bias and cultures of our organisations that devalue and discriminate against women," Professor Cooper said. "It's a no-brainer for lifting productivity growth that we get this generation of young women not just working but enjoying their work and being valued for their contribution." The report draws on data collected by Ipsos for University of Sydney and ANU as part of a larger three-country study. The survey features responses from 1,000 women and 1,000 men aged 40 and under in Australia, the UK and Japan, revealing commonalities in their expectations from work and differences in their perceptions.