HiBob’s Annual Study “Women Professionals in the Modern Workplace” shows that only 32% of Australian professional women surveyed believe that men and women are paid equally
Modern HR platform disruptor HiBob has today announced the results of its study “Australian Women Professionals in the Modern Workplace.” The study revealed that only 32% of professional women believe that they are paid equally to men and that 33% believe that men are better paid.
The research was commissioned by HiBob to mark International Women’s Day and surveyed 1,000 Australian women professionals aged 25 and older who were employed full-time in a hybrid or in-office workplace in 2020 and 2021.
It provides insights on professional women’s perceptions about compensation, promotions, the Great Realignment, the importance of company culture, and more. The survey was part of HiBob’s international IWD study, which asked the same questions of 3,000 professional women globally: 1,000 in each of Australia, the UK and the USA.
Nirit Peled Muntz, Chief People Officer at HiBob, said: “We are delighted to have undertaken the first of our annual research series on Women in the Workforce in Australia. Against the backdrop of the great realignment and the war for talent, our research this year has shown us that professional Australian women have a clear “top three” criteria for evaluating job opportunities: pay, flexibility and culture. This gives Australian employers multiple great opportunities to hire and retain the many talented professional women in the Australian market.
“Women today are a major source of talent in the workplace, and breaking the bias is a pressing social responsibility for all of us. At HiBob, we are committed to empowering Australian companies to deliver the best possible experience at work for all employees.”
The bias in pay
In Australia, when asked about equal pay, 32% of respondents believe that women and men are paid equally for the same role at their company, roughly the same percentage as believe that men are paid more than women (33%).
For women tech professionals (engineers, developers), only 25% believe that women and men are paid equally for the same role at their company. For HR professionals, the equivalent
percentage is even lower at 22%. Perceptions of inequality are also reflected in the 40% of women tech professionals and 37% women HR professionals who believe men are paid more than women, compared to 33% of all respondents.
Promotions & women leaders can break the bias
Encouragingly, in 2021, more than half (55%) of all women professionals who participated reported that they received a promotion in salary, position, or benefits. 38% of respondents received a pay increase overall and notably 57% of HR professionals received a promotion, reflecting the increased importance of HR professionals within organisations. 37% of all respondents believe that women and men are promoted equally.
When asked whether their company has made a visible commitment to developing more women leaders in the last year, 35% of respondents thought their company had. 28% of respondents already felt their company had a balanced female-male leadership, while 37% believe that their company is not balanced yet, showing that there is still significant room for Australian companies to develop their women leaders and showcase to all employees how they are supporting women.
The Great Realignment
In Australia, the Great Realignment has seen employees re-evaluate their working lives, priorities and whether their work aligns with their purpose and values.
In light of this, it’s no surprise that 39% of professional women left their jobs in 2021, including 46% of women senior managers. In 2022, 27% of HR professionals still expect to change jobs, compared to 19% of all respondents and senior managers, and 13% of women in tech.
Another factor that may be influencing the Great Realignment is that only 57% of professional Australian women who participated feel confident in their job performance, a significantly lower percentage than professional women in the US and the UK.
When asked about what would entice respondents to move to a new employer, women professionals identified three clear priorities: increased pay (48%), flexible work (43%) and a strong and healthy culture (40%), demonstrating that while important, pay is not the only issue that professional women take into account. Of note, women working at large companies (43%) were more likely to be enticed by a strong and healthy culture compared to women working for small companies (36%), and a strong and healthy culture was more enticing for individual contributors (43%) or middle managers (41%).
Driving change in the modern workplace
“While this study reveals insights on professional women’s experience at work in Australia and shows that the bias still needs to be broken, there are tools available for companies to drive change and improvement,” said Damien Andreasen, General Manager of HiBob in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.
“At HiBob, we pride ourselves on our culture of inclusivity and transparency, which allow for equal opportunities. This starts with having the right platform, with the right data and insights for people leaders. We are passionate about helping our clients build strong and inclusive cultures so they, too, can break the bias.”
