In collaboration with the Australian Government Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet's Office for Women and a national team of leading academics, the Working for Women Research Partnership is co-led by the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work to generate the evidence base needed to inform government policy, industry practice and workplace design that advances gender equality across Australia.
From 2025–2030, the research team is conducting deep research that leverages decades of interdisciplinary expertise to build collaboration and engagement across universities, industry, unions and the community sector. The innovative five-year partnership delivers data-driven actionable insights for targeted government action to build a more gender-equal economy.
The Research Partnership seeks to build the robust evidence base needed to address persistent gender gaps in the workforce to underpin the Federal Government’s Working for Women: A Strategy for Gender Equality.
Each year, the research team investigates a key theme and workforce cohort. The research centres the voices of key demographic groups among the diverse Australian population that are significantly affected by gender inequality at work. Applying an intersectional lens, the partnership addresses critical gaps in knowledge to understand lived experiences of women in the labour market.
The partnership explores themes related to high-quality flexible work, gender segregation in male-dominated and female-dominated industries, unpaid care and work, workplace sexual harassment and discrimination, and the impact of gender-based violence on women's employment and economic security.
Research priorities and data collection will amplify the voices of women who are underrepresented in research and public policy. This includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, LGBTQI+ and migrant workers, as well as women living in regional, rural and remote areas, and women living with disability or chronic health conditions. Through mixed methods research, culturally-informed and Indigenous-led methodologies as well as trauma-informed approaches are undertaken where relevant.
The Research Partnership will deliver yearly reports, consolidating original data collected and generated through quantitative and qualitative methods such as surveys and focus groups in line with the chosen theme and cohort for the year.
Consortia leads
Academic members
UTS Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research / Centre for Indigenous People and Work
The University of Melbourne
