Momentum for gender equality to build on big 2025 wins

More women in leadership, a narrowing pay gap and a pension added to paid parental leave are among Australia’s gender equality gains in 2025.

But advocates say momentum to achieve true equality must increase by 2026, given that women are still overrepresented in part-time, low-paying jobs, take on the majority of unpaid tasks, and rates of domestic violence remain stubbornly high.

In January, Anthony Albanese became the first prime minister to have an equal number of men and women in his cabinet.

After the elections in May, a record number of women entered the federal parliament and the lion’s share of the Labor Party ranks.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley became the first female federal Liberal leader, but the total number of women in the party has not increased significantly in a decade.

Labor women outnumber coalition women in the federal parliament by two to one.

But three Liberal women have led the opposition party: in NSW, South Australia and Victoria.

A. Per Capita report It confirmed the link between more women in parliament and greater emphasis on childcare, parental leave, domestic violence and pay equality reforms.

“The balance of gender equality in the current federal government is something to celebrate,” UN Women Executive Director Simone Clarke told AAP.

“Women bring a different mindset to decision-making and we are seeing greater awareness of gender equality, with people engaging in discussions on this topic.”

From July 2025, new mothers and fathers received a pension increase in state-funded paid parental leave, with around 180,000 families benefiting from this change.

The child care activity test has been replaced with a three-day guarantee that provides families with 72 hours of subsidized care every two weeks, regardless of the parents’ employment level.

This will come into force in 2026, with Australian Child Care Alliance chief executive Paul Mondo saying it will benefit children and families who need the most support.

Australia also rose from 24th to 13th in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report; this was the nation’s best ranking since the report was published in 2006.

Improvements in political, economic and workforce participation have contributed to Australia’s survival compared to the rest of the world.

Data analysis by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency found the national gender pay gap narrowed to 21.1 per cent from 21.8 per cent in 2024.

This means that women earn, on average, 78.9 cents for every $1 that men earn; That’s a difference of $28,356 per year.

“The narrowing of the pay gap and modest improvements to gender balance in leadership roles are supported by more employers taking action and having policies in place that can break gender norms,” said Mary Wooldridge, the agency’s chief executive.

However, the gender pay gap at the top level in CEO salaries has increased by 1.2 percentage points to 26.2 percent in the last 12 months.

Female chief executives earn an average of $83,493 less than men in base salary; When retirement, bonuses, overtime and benefits are included, the difference increases to $185,335.

Gender Discrimination Commissioner Anna Cody said conversations on gender equality must include equal treatment of all genders, including transgender and non-binary people.

“Gender equality is not just about equal pay or political representation; it is about valuing care not as a gendered responsibility but as a shared human responsibility,” she said at a December conference on gender equality in the workplace.

“All over the world, we see gender diversity being weaponized for ideological and political purposes.

“This is particularly unfair when it targets a group that already faces higher rates of violence and makes up less than one percent of the population.”

The rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the United States and its impact on Australia should not be underestimated.

Women and racial equality advocate Juliana Nkrumah said that unfortunately 2025 does not give her much hope.

“This year has been a very difficult year for people all over the world,” he said.

“There is a lot of information about gender equality and its importance, but that does not mean we are getting results.

“It’s great that information is publicly available, but real action hasn’t happened and that’s my hope for change in 2026.”

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