Financial gender equality climbs as women gain on | Australian Markets

A report quantity of women appointed to ASX200 boards has helped the Financy Women’s Index (FWX) gain 0.5 per cent during the March quarter, reaching its highest studying since June 2024 of 77.92 factors.

The index, which tracks Australia’s progress in the direction of financial gender equality by a selection of sub-indices, noticed vital enhancements in ASX200 board illustration and employment.

The FWX ASX 200 Leadership sub-index surged to 76.8 factors after the quantity of women on ASX200 boards elevated to 38.4 per cent, whereas the FWX Employment sub-index jumped to 74.4 factors after feminine employment growth (+0.2) surpassed males (-1.0) during the March quarter.

“These results show that Australia is on track to reach equality on ASX 200 boards by 2030 – a historic milestone for gender equality as one of the first widely campaigned and actioned areas closes in on parity,” Bianca Hartge-Hazelman, Founder of Financy, stated.

Despite gender equality on ASX200 boards now anticipated to be solely 4.9 years – the one sub-index to hit below 5 years of progress remaining – the gender pay hole sub-index has nonetheless held firm at 88.1 factors as the general hole stays at 11.9 per cent. Data from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) additionally confirmed a vital pay discrepancy between the public (6.4 per cent) and personal (21.1 per cent) sectors.

“You don’t need to be a Chief Financial Officer to speak the language of money – but you do need to speak it to shape the decisions that matter both in your personal life and beyond,” NGS Super CEO, Natalie Previtera, stated.

“Financial fluency is often the unspoken language of power. And when access to that fluency isn’t equal – through education, encouragement or opportunity – influence isn’t equal either. But this isn’t just a leadership issue – it’s a life issue. From pay to super to investment, financial fluency shapes the choices women can make at every stage.”

Financy additionally collaborated with the University of South Australia’s Centre for Workplace Excellence (CWeX) to carry out additional evaluation of the index knowledge.

“I’m pleased to see a significant improvement in gender equity in corporate boards. Research has shown that more women in leadership roles is pivotal in promoting gender equity in the corporate world through influencing corporate culture and the trickle-down effect,” CWeX researcher, Dr Xin Deng, stated.

“I’m more cautious in regards to the enchancment within the employment determine in favour of women. On one hand, the development is in line with the numerous growth of the care economic system the place women account for a a lot greater proportion of the roles.

“While this is a good thing for women, we know that women tend to work in the relatively low-paying jobs in these industries. On the other hand, those numbers tend to fluctuate on a quarterly basis.”