WGEA warns against 'full-time mindset' for management jobs
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The news: There has been a decline in women working part-time roles but an increase in overall flexibility, according to a report from the Workplace Gender Authority Agency (WGEA) and Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre.
The numbers: In the two years to 2022-23, women in part-time work declined 3.4 percentage points to 29.7%. This remains relatively high among the OECD and does capture the pandemic period. Women in full-time positions with flexible arrangements have increased 2.3 percentage points to 42.5% over the same timeframe. This includes remote and flexible work.
In the past three years, women aged 35 to 55 have been the source of the most significant increase in full-time work.
There has also been a subtle shift for men, who are increasingly considering part-time work or in casual positions. Where 71.9% of men worked full-time roles in 2013-14, this has dropped to 66.9% in 2022-23.
When looking at individual roles, 13% of female managers worked part-time compared to 2.3% of male managers. This does, however, varies by industry with women in the health care sector much more likely to work part-time including at management levels.
The context: Part of the trend is likely due to increasingly flexible arrangements for full-time roles post-pandemic.
The new report is encouraging employers to look for ways to normalise part-time and flexible jobs in their workplace without resulting in career penalties in a bid to help improve gender equality and remove “flexibility stigma”. It suggests reconsidering whether roles that have often been only considered suitable for full-time work could actually be worked flexibly or part time.
What they said: WGEA CEO Mary Wooldridge said employers needed to avoid the “full-time mindset” and make jobs inclusive as part-time workers of both genders often face promotion barriers.
“Women are twice as likely to work part-time, so improvement in availability and support for part-time work will be a positive step for gender equality in Australia. Men also benefit from arrangements that better align with how, when and where they want to work,” Wooldridge said.
“Enabling more management roles to be undertaken part-time and/or flexibly will expand employers’ access to a greater talent pool and support reducing their gender pay gap.”
Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre director Professor Alan Duncan said the trends indicated a structural shift towards full-time work compared to part-time work for many women, but the male trends had remained broadly steady over time.
“Driven by technological advancements, changing workforce demographics and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the growing demand for flexible work options presents a significant opportunity for women to enhance their economic participation and career progression,” Duncan said.
“Of those that are working part-time, a rising share of both women and men are choosing part-time work out of preference and fewer are citing care of children as the main reason for doing so. However, an increasing number of women are also turning to part-time work because it’s their only option,” he said.
The sources: Workplace Gender Equality Agency, Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre
