Project description

Women in business still face social and cultural barriers when it comes to leadership, but managers can create an environment that supports women and provides them with leadership opportunities. Women have borne the brunt of the economic dislocation, job losses, and the caring responsibilities that came with the COVID-19 pandemic. Women's jobs were 1.8 times more vulnerable to this crisis than men's jobs, according to an analysis by McKinsey. The report shows that while women comprise 39 per cent of total global employment, they accounted for 54 per cent of overall job losses during the pandemic. That's a clear sign that women have been significantly disadvantaged by COVID-19. Australia's progress toward gender equality � even before the pandemic � has been uneven. While Australia has made some progress on gender equality (for example, the national gender pay gap reached its lowest point in November last year at 13.4 per cent, after peaking at 18.5 per cent in 2014), the under-representation of women at leadership and management levels, in crucial decision-making roles across almost all industries in the workforce, continues to be a significant challenge.

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Project outcome