Australian leadership teams have come a long way – but not nearly far enough. Women still hold just over one in five CEO roles, and globally just 23% of board seats are held by women. Progress has stalled, and while the conversation around gender equity often focuses on fairness, the case is now just as much about economics, performance, and shared prosperity.
In a time of soaring living costs and growing business complexity, we can’t afford to leave capability on the bench. Gender-balanced leadership is no longer a nice-to-have – it’s a strategic advantage.
The Cost-of-Living Connection
The economic impact of gender inequality is no longer theoretical. It’s measurable, and it affects us all.
- The gender pay gap means women working full-time earn $246 less per week than men.
- That adds up to nearly $13,000 a year – money that could support household budgets for rent, food, or childcare.
- The broader economy takes a hit too: Treasury estimates $51.8 billion in lost GDP annually due to the gender pay gap.
Meanwhile, mortgage interest charges jumped 2.6% in one quarter, and everyday costs keep rising. Closing the leadership gap offers one of the most underused levers to drive income growth, boost productivity, and support household resilience.
The Talent Pipeline Isn’t Broken – But It’s Bottlenecked
Workforce participation is strong – 62.9% of Australian women are now in the labour market – yet leadership representation lags behind. At mid-career, momentum stalls with women worldwide holding just 33.5% of senior roles, and progress has flatlined for 3 years.
It’s not about capability. It’s about structure, systems and access to opportunity.
We’re seeing what’s possible in organisations that are moving deliberately:
- Commonwealth Bank now has 44.9% women in Executive Manager roles through balanced shortlists and talent dashboards.
- BHP lifted its female workforce from 17% to 40% by tying leader incentives to inclusion and redesigning frontline rosters.
- Westpac backed over 1,000 women-led businesses through a $1 billion fund.
These outcomes aren’t accidental. They’re the result of focused, business-minded action.
Beyond the Pipeline: Six Strategic Moves That Drive Progress
No matter your sector or size, here are practical ways to move from good intentions to better outcomes:
Why this matters right now
The case for advancing women in leadership isn’t just long-term – it’s urgent. The impact is immediate, measurable, and tied to the challenges businesses and households are facing today.
Household relief. Closing the weekly earnings gap would inject nearly A$13,000 into the average woman’s wallet each year – real money for rising rents and school fees.
Talent crunch. An ageing workforce means Australia can’t afford to bench half its leadership pool.
Investor & regulatory heat. Pay gap transparency and superfund scrutiny put laggards on notice.
Innovation imperative. Diverse teams solve complex problems faster – critical as AI, climate and geopolitical shocks reshape markets.
The Takeaway
“Fixing the pipeline” is yesterday’s mantra. Today’s challenge is building structures that retain, sponsor and elevate women into roles where strategic and capital decisions are made. This is where we move beyond the pipeline.
Businesses that treat women’s leadership development as core strategy – not a side initiative – will reap stronger balance sheets and help ease Australia’s cost of living crunch in the bargain.
**Footnotes
1. Office for Women / WGEA, “Women in Leadership” statistics. (Parliamentary Metadata Conference)
2. Deloitte, Women in the Boardroom report 2024. (wgea.gov.au)
3. McKinsey & Company, Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters 2020. (McKinsey & Company)
4. ABS, fulltime gender pay gap figures (Nov 2024). (wgea.gov.au)
5. Australian Treasury, media release on economic cost of gender pay gap (Feb 2024). (wgea.gov.au)
6. ABS, Selected Living Cost Indexes, June 2024 (mortgageinterest charges up 2.6 %). (Australian Bureau of Statistics)
7. Grant Thornton, Women in Business global survey 2024 (33.5 % senior roles). (grantthornton.com)
8. Commbank, FY2024 Diversity Metrics (44.9 % women in ExecutiveManager roles). (CommBank)
9. BHP, Inclusion & Diversity Update April 2025 (40 % female workforce). (BHP)
10. Westpac, media release Women in Business Fund Expansion March 2025. (westpac.com.au)
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