Gender diversity is fundamental to a highly-skilled, well-trained and sustainable professional workforce and will be critical as part of a coordinated strategy for rebuilding the Australian economy as we emerge from the pandemic.

Gender equity is not only a justice and equity issue but an economic imperative as we emerge from COVID-19 – a 4 per cent increase in the participation rate of women over the next decade would add $25 billion dollars to the economy.

Gender diversity in the professions is a mainstream economic and workforce development issue and a key economic reform priority for the coming decade, particularly in view of the need for increasing our competitiveness and realising greater productivity as Australia positions itself for a post-pandemic future. It’s about developing a diverse and sustainable professional workforce that can meet the massive range of contemporary challenges we face.

Professionals Australia’s diversity work focuses on encouraging greater workforce participation of under-represented groups including women in our professional workforce and addressing the systemic and structural factors that cause women and other minority groups to leave the professions at higher rates than their male counterparts. We focus on how to ensure women are retained in the STEM workforce, not just on increasing supply. We’re about addressing the barriers to merit-based advancement for women in the professions and ensuring we note the particular impact of the pandemic on women’s employment. Read more about the goals of Professionals Australia’s work here.