Companies have to go beyond the one-size-fits-all model of developing ‘family friendly’ workplaces if they are going to tap into the increasingly large female worker pool.

New research conducted by the ABS and commissioned by Optimiss Consulting has found that the majority of working women are not caring for children, but employers are still reliant on outmoded family-friendly policies in a bid to achieve greater gender equality.

The report focused on working women aged 25 to 54, concluding that:

  • 53% working part-time have no children under 12
  • 79% working full-time have no children under 12
  • 64% working full-time have no children under age 18

“We know Australia is still struggling to achieve greater gender diversity from middle management to the most senior ranks, particularly in the private sector, and as diversity experts who work closely with leading companies we wanted to uncover factors not being explored,” says Kate O’Reilly, Director, Optimiss Consulting.

“The ABS data reveals what we have long suspected – a great many women in the Australian workforce either do not have children or do not have young children.”

While Ms O’Reilly commended organisations that do have family-friendly polices in place, she was at pains to stress that that is not where gender quality efforts end.

“Family-friendly policies do not address many of the issues holding women back such as pay equality, access to line management roles, unconscious bias, recruitment and promotion and access to training and mentoring.” Ms O’Reilly said.

“Harder, but also rewarding, is the work that will lead organisations to ask themselves the really tough questions that bring about permanent cultural change.”

“These questions include ‘do we promote women and men on an equal basis? ‘Do we have a bias towards men when recruiting for senior roles? Do we reward men and women differently for doing the same work when it comes not just to salary but to performance bonuses?’”

“Getting the policies right for working parents is a good first step for employers to take but their efforts shouldn’t stop there if they want to reap the benefits of being able to draw from a larger talent pool when recruiting and promoting people for middle to senior roles,” says Ms O’Reilly.