The research team

University of Melbourne:

• Associate Professor Alysia Blackham
• Professor Leah Ruppanner
• Professor Beth Gaze
• Professor Susan Ainsworth
• Dr. Brendan Churchill
• Kate Dangar, Research Project Manager
• Mira Gunawansa, Research Project Manager
• Lía Acosta Rueda, Research Assistant
• Cameron Patrick, Statistical Consultant

What was the research about?

The team researched pregnancy, parenting, caregiving and gender equality in the public sector. It looked at:

• Gender differences in accessing leave and flexible work options
• How the Gender Equality Act 2020 can address caregiving-related challenges.

How was the research conducted?

The researchers used mixed methods, including:

• desktop data collection
• surveys
• analysing data from the 2021 People matter survey
• interviews.

It used 349 survey responses and 74 interviews. Participants came from 23 public sector workplaces.

What did the research find?

• Victoria's public sector is good at offering flexible work.
• More women than men take care of loved ones and need to use flexible work and leave for caring.
• Most people didn't know about their rights as carers in the workplace.
• Access to leave and flexible working arrangements for carers depends on individual managers. Many felt these benefits were difficult to access.
• COVID-19 made it easier for carers to work flexibly. Carers felt anxious about the return to inflexible arrangements.
• Caregivers, especially working mothers and women aged 50+ faced barriers to career advancement.
• Caregivers faced discrimination in the workplace, especially those from diverse backgrounds.
• Insecure work made discrimination worse. Some carers didn't take leave because they worried about their jobs.
• People taking leave due to trauma, like miscarriage or domestic violence, had less support.

Recommendations

Recommendations for public sector organisations

• Revise the Victorian Public Service Enterprise Agreement 2020. Develop an inclusive definition of caregiving.
• Learn how caregivers use different types of leave for caregiving responsibilities. This includes personal leave, unpaid leave and annual leave.
• Conduct an annual audit on leave allowances.
• Increase personal leave allowances.
• Make flexible working the standard for everyone.
• Track the use of caregiving entitlements (including requests and actual use).
• Include managing flexible work in performance reviews for managers.
• Make sure staff know their rights as caregivers and different leave options.
• Train all managers on caring, workplace flexibility and leave entitlements.

Recommendations for managers and HR departments

• Lead by example. Role model the use of leave or flexible work for caring needs.
• Discuss flexible work arrangements in regular check-ins with staff.
• Make it easier for staff to find information on leave options.
• Support caregivers to apply for promotions.
• Create staff networks for people with caring responsibilities to connect.
• Support people returning to work after long periods of leave for caregiving.

Recommendations for the Commission

• Track insecure work in the Victorian public sector. Look at how this affects caregivers.
• Encourage organisations to collect data on the caring responsibilities of their staff.

Read the full report

Citing this research

Dangar K, Gunawansa M, Blackham A, Ruppanner L, Gaze B, Ainsworth S, Churchill B, Acosta Rueda L and Patrick C, ‘Caring and workplace gender equality in the Public Sector in Victoria: Final Project Report’, University of Melbourne, 2023.

The research team

Queensland University of Technology (QUT):

• Dr Jannine Williams
• Maria Hameed Khan
• Professor Robyn Mayes
• Associate Professor Patricia Obst
• Benjamin Low

Victorian Public Sector Enablers Network:

• Duncan Chew
• Maria-Grace Capito

The Disability Leadership Institute.

What was the research about?

The research looked at experiences of people who identified as women with disability in the Victorian Public Service (VPS). It identified enablers and barriers to progression and promotion. It also recommended inclusive practices.

How was the research conducted?

The researchers:

• analysed the 2021 People matter survey data
• interviewed 49 women with disability who work in the VPS.

What did the research find?

Findings from analysis of the 2021 People matter survey data found that among people who identified as having a disability:

• More women, non-binary people and people of other gender identities had disability than men
• More women used flexible work arrangements
• More women, non-binary people and people of other gender identities requested workplace adjustments. Disability was often the reason for the request
• Women and men had poor perceptions of workplace culture in relation to disability. Non-binary people and people of other gender identities had even lower perceptions.

Interviewees wanted consistent support for women with disability to advance their careers at all VPS levels.

Interviews identified 8 themes that could be enablers and barrier to career progression:

• sharing information on disability
• requesting workplace adjustments
• disability advocacy
• team relations, including the role of managers and team members
• disability visibility and mentorship
• policies and practices that focus on changing systems rather than the actions of individuals.

Recommendations

The VPS must create a culture of disability inclusion built on respect and trust. It should focus on:

• actions VPS managers and supervisors can take
• creating a culture of psychological safety
• developing more inclusive policies and practices in the VPS.

Read the full report

Read the Plain English version

Citing this research

Williams J, Khan MH, Mayes R, Obst P, and Lowe B 'Getting on at work: Progression and Promotion of Women with Disability in the Victorian Public Service report', Queensland University of Technology (QUT), 2023

The research team

Griffith and Macquarie Universities:

• Associate Professor Debbie Bargallie
• Professor Bronwyn Carlson
• Madi Day

What was the research about?

The research focused on Aboriginal women working in the Victorian public sector. It looked at their career pathways, experiences and workplace challenges.

How was the research conducted?

The Aboriginal research team led the data collection, analysis and compiled the final report and recommendations.

The research included:

• yarning sessions (Indigenous cultural dialogue that focuses on collaboration and sharing)
• analysing workplace gender audit data
• reviewing academic papers, reports and media commentary
• surveys.

What did the research find?

• Aboriginal women face barriers to getting jobs and promotions.
• They find mentoring, networking, and seeing other Aboriginal women in leadership valuable. Being recognised for their contributions and experiences matters to them.
• Many Aboriginal women felt unsatisfied, undervalued and unsuccessful at obtaining progression. This is often because of insecure jobs. They also do unpaid work and are expected to represent all Aboriginal communities.
• Racism affects Aboriginal women daily, both from individuals and systems.
• They need better workplace discrimination and sexual harassment policies.

Recommendations

Recommendations for public sector organisations

• Recognise and acknowledge that racism and gender discrimination exist. Actively work to change racist systems, policies and practices.
• Conduct more research focused on workplace discrimination and inequities. Use this data to inform policy and practice decision making.
• Engage in research on the employment experiences of Aboriginal people with disability and/or those who identify as LGBTIQA+.
• Improve recruitment for Aboriginal women. Create plans for their individual career growth.
• Offer more jobs outside of metropolitan areas.
• Identify flexible work options, including hybrid work
• Recruit more Aboriginal women, particularly in leadership.
• Help contract workers move into ongoing positions if desired.
• Acknowledge and pay Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff for cultural work beyond their duties.
• Create specific roles for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment, education, and mentoring.
• Work with Aboriginal people to improve complaint policies.
• Develop an anti-racism policy led by Aboriginal people. Look at recruitment, progression and exits.
• Educate staff about race, gender, and the effects of colonialism.
• Hold an annual networking event for Aboriginal women in the public sector.

Read the full report

Citing this research

Bargallie D, Carlson B and Day M ‘Make Us Count: Understanding Aboriginal women’s experiences in Victorian Public Sector workplaces’, Griffith and Macquarie Universities, 2023

The research team

Federation University:

• Dr Cathy Tischler
• Dr Kelsey McDonald
• Ms Emma Dallamora
• Professor Keir Reeves

What was the research about?

The research explored the structural barriers rural women face when pursuing a career in the public sector. The research focused on women living in the Grampians region of Victoria.

How was the research conducted?

The research involved:

• data review and analysis
• interviews and focus groups.

Researchers analysed data from the Commission and interviews with executives, managers, and staff. A total of 9 public sector organisations participated in the study:

• 3 health services
• 6 local governments or statutory authorities.

All participating organisations were located in the Grampians region. There were 75 interviews in total, with 39 group and 36 individual interviews.

What did the research find?

• Employees, especially women, are deciding what hours they can work independently of workplaces.
• Some employees get more flexible work options than others. This impacts career progression and is also causing a divide in the workforce. Front-facing (customer service) and senior management roles have the least flexibility.
• Women are hesitant to take on higher-level management roles in organisations. This is because these jobs often have limited flexibility and a broad range of responsibilities. These responsibilities are typically managed by teams in metropolitan areas.
• Senior roles are less appealing due to fewer chances to progress locally in the future. As a result, women may hold off on advancing in their careers. This is to ensure that they don't run out of progression options in their region.
• Limited childcare and afterschool care is impacting women’s workforce participation. This is increasing the extent of part-time and casual work in rural communities.
• Rural organisations are meeting gender equality requirements by allocating a staff member for this work. It is not yet part of workplace culture.

Recommendations

Recommendations for organisations

• Re-structure work within organisations to normalise flexibility.
• Senior leaders should normalise and role-model workplace flexibility and collaboration.
• Support future women leaders to develop and progress in their careers.
• Advocate for funding changes that will make rural childcare more sustainable.
• Advocate for funding to improve services for school-aged children, such as after-school care.
• Build a workplace culture that values flexible work. This will reduce hidden barriers to workplace equity.
• Create a safe environment for people of all genders to embrace caring responsibilities.

Read the full report

Citing this research

Tischler C, McDonald K, Dallamora E and Reeves K, ‘Rurality and Workforce Participation: Exploring Prevalence of Part-time and Insecure Work in Grampians Public Service Roles’, Federation University Australia, 2023

The research team

Monash University:

• Dr Hyein Ellen Cho
• Professor Marie Segrave

What was the research about?

The research explored approaches to gender equality and the diversity of women’s experiences and needs in the workplace. The project researched experiences of migrant and refugee women working for Victorian councils. It considered the commitments to cultural and linguistic diversity in councils.

How was the research conducted?

The researchers:

• invited 6 councils to take part
• analysed the councils’ Gender Equality Action Plans
• held focus groups and interviews with migrant and refugee women employees
• held focus groups with executives in charge of gender equality.

What did the research find?

The main findings were:

• Everyone agreed that the broader perspectives of gender equality makes workplaces fairer.
• Some executives recognised migrant and refugee women faced barriers to advancing their careers. Despite this, workplaces had paid limited attention as a priority.
• There was a desire to improve workforce diversity, but limited attention on how to achieve this both through recruitment and retention.
• Many women reported facing discrimination in recruitment at work.
• Employees wanted better ways to move up in the careers.
• Migrant and refugee women felt their leadership styles weren’t appreciated.
• There are different levels of value placed on different cultures and languages. Perceptions about language barriers stopped some women from seeking promotion.
• Policies and guidelines for safe workplaces and complaints handling weren’t adequate. There were also concerns about sexual harassment and the low rates of reporting.
• Migrant and refugee women often don't have a say in making policies and practices. They need better representation in diversity groups and committees.
• Many people don't understand what "intersectionality" means in practice.
• It is important to shift away from rhetoric to meaningful efforts to support diverse workforces.

Recommendations

Recommendations for all organisations and government

• Use the term “intersectionality” carefully.
• Collect data to better understand women’s experiences.
• Recognise the diversity of women in gender equality work.
• Diversify the workforce and increase diverse women in leadership.

Recommendations for local government

• Prioritise working groups that focus on diversity, and include migrant and refugee women.
• Make sure migrant and refugee women have a say in decisions about their jobs and policies. This includes gender equality and diversity initiatives.
• Advertise jobs to migrant and refugee communities within your local government area. Think about their needs and experiences.

Recommendations for the Commission

• Promote discussions around diversity of experiences and needs within the public sector. Recognise not all women benefit the same way from gender equality efforts.
• Support future research on migrant and refugee women in the public sector.

Read the full report

Citing this research

Cho, HE and Segrave M ‘Victorian local councils and gender equality: Examining commitments to diversity and the experiences of women from migrant and refugee backgrounds,’ Monash University, 2023