The Working for Women Research Partnership, a collaboration between the Australian Government Office for Women and a national team of leading academics, has announced its five-year Research Agenda.
Co-led by the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work at the University of Sydney, the Partnership will generate the evidence base needed to inform government policy, industry practice, and workplace design that advances gender equality across Australia.
The Agenda outlines the research priorities, methods and outputs that will guide the Partnership’s work from 2025 to 2030. Each year, researchers will investigate a key theme aligned with the Federal Government’s Working for Women: A Strategy for Gender Equality, which aims to ensure Australians are safe, respected, have choice, and have access to resources and equal results regardless of gender.
“This partnership represents a unique opportunity to build the robust evidence base needed to close persistent gender gaps in the workforce,” said Professor Rae Cooper. “In the first year, we are focused on building understanding of workers’ experiences with workplace flexibility, including both its benefits and its penalties.”
Our goal is to foreground the voices of Australian employees – especially women – and provide practical insights for government, employers, unions and industry bodies to help build high-quality jobs, and boost participation and inclusion.
Professor Rae Cooper AO FASSA
Director, The Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work
The 2025–26 research theme is high-quality, flexible work. The research team will assess the economic benefits of flexible work, and identify the barriers and enablers to accessing secure, skill-matched jobs with flexible conditions.
Each year, the voices of key workforce cohorts most affected by gender inequality at work will be centred to ensure the research reflects Australia’s diverse population. By applying an intersectional lens, the Partnership will address critical gaps in knowledge across demographic groups and understand each chosen cohort’s lived experiences.
The priority cohort for the first year of the five-year partnership is women workers aged 40 to 55.
“Often called the ‘sandwich generation’, this skilled and experienced cohort of women are increasing their participation in the labour market at a significant rate, even as they struggle to progress in their career and achieve economic security alongside the demands of family care for kids and elderly parents,” explained Professor Elizabeth Hill, Deputy Director of the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work.
“Research findings will provide evidence-based proposals on job design and workplace practices to support the participation and wellbeing of this committed cohort of Australian workers.”
The Partnership is led by the University of Sydney in collaboration with UTS Jumbunna / Centre for Indigenous People and Work at the University of Technology Sydney and the University of Melbourne.
The academic team brings expertise across industrial relations, sociology, economics, education, social policy, criminology and public health, and is recognised nationally and internationally for excellence in research and collaboration with government.
The Working for Women Research Partnership is led by:
- Professor Rae Cooper, Chief Investigator (The University of Sydney)
- Professor Elizabeth Hill, Chief Investigator (The University of Sydney)
- Dr Brendan Churchill, Chief Investigator (The University of Melbourne)
- Professor Nareen Young, Chief Investigator (UTS Jumbunna/UTS Business Centre for Indigenous People and Work)
They are also joined by Dr Meraiah Foley, Dr Natalie Galea, Dr Laura Good, Associate Professor Dimitria Groutsis, Associate Professor Myra Hamilton, Associate Professor Joshua Healy, Dr Suneha Seetahul, Dr Leah Williams Veazey and Professor Helen Watt (The University of Sydney); Mr Joshua Gilbert, Dr Jane O’Leary (UTS Jumbunna/UTS Business Centre for Indigenous People and Work); Dr Shih Joo (Siru) Tan, Professor Leah Ruppanner, Dr Megan Sharp, Dr Elisabetta (Lilli) Crovara, Professor Marie Segrave (The University of Melbourne); Professor Meg Smith (Western Sydney University); Professor Alison Preston (University of Western Australia); Associate Professor Natasha Cortis (UNSW); Emeritus Professor Siobhan Austen (Curtin University); Professor Lyndall Strazdins (Australian National University); Emeritus Professor Sara Charlesworth and Associate Professor Tania King (RMIT).
Read the full Working for Women Research Partnership – Research Agenda.