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Economic Status of Women in Australia:
A Statistical Profile - 1997 Update
Geoff Winter
Statistics Group
Consie Larmour
Social Policy Group
May 1997
Women and Employment
The participation of women in the labour force has increased steadily:
in April 1997, 54.1 per cent of women aged 15 years and over were participating
in the labour force, compared with an all-time high of 54.4 per cent in
February 1997, 49.3 per cent in February 1988 and 43.0 per cent in May
1979. The proportion of women in the labour force in Australia is lower
than in Great Britain and Canada among Commonwealth countries, and lower
than in a number of other OECD countries including the United States of
America and Scandinavian countries. Women predominate in the part-time
labour force.
Table 1: Women and the Labour Force
(per cent)
February-
Characteristic 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 1996 1997
Female proportion of the
civilian population (a) 50.8 50.8 50.7 50.6 50.8 50.8 50.8
Female proportion of the labour
force 35.2 36.8 38.4 41.6 42.6 42.8 43.4
Participation rate (b):
males 81.5 78.3 75.8 75.5 74.3 74.1 73.3
females 43.2 44.4 46.1 52.3 53.5 53.9 54.4
Female proportion of employment:
full-time 27.2 28.3 29.5 31.6 32.4 32.7 32.9
part-time 80.9 78.9 78.7 78.1 74.7 74.8 74.6
total 34.3 36.0 38.0 41.1 42.5 42.8 43.3
Unemployment rate (b):
full-time workers - males 3.6 4.9 8.1 5.6 8.9 8.7 9.0
- females 6.7 8.7 10.1 7.7 10.2 9.5 9.9
part-time workers - males 9.3 6.7 7.8 8.5 9.6 8.6 9.3
- females 6.8 5.7 6.9 6.3 6.9 6.1 6.6
total - males 3.8 5.0 8.1 5.9 9.0 8.7 9.0
- females 6.8 7.7 9.0 7.2 8.7 8.1 8.5
(a) Aged 15 years and over. (b) Seasonally adjusted.
Source: The Labour Force, various (ABS).
Since late 1990 the unemployment rate of women has been lower than the
male unemployment rate. (Some possible reasons for this are discussed
in Are Women Taking Jobs Away From Men, Research Note No.
46, May 1997.) The unemployment rate of women fell from 11.0 per cent
in September 1983 to 8.3 per cent in June 1986 and was at its lowest in
the past nineteen years at 6.4 per cent in December 1989. In April 1997
it was 8.5 per cent. However, women still predominate among discouraged
jobseekers, i.e. in 'hidden unemployment'. In September 1996, of 118 900
persons classified as discouraged job-seekers by the Australian Bureau
of Statistics (ABS), 75 per cent were women. This situation had deteriorated
compared with September 1994 when 70 per cent of the 106 500 discouraged
jobseekers were women.
Despite 'equal pay' decisions dating back to 1969, women still have
not achieved earnings parity. For adult employees, in February 1997, women's
full-time average ordinary time weekly earnings were 84 per cent of men's.
For adult full-time average total weekly earnings the female/male proportion
was 80 per cent and for all employees average total weekly earnings, the
female/male proportion was 67 per cent. These ratios are much the same
as in February 1988. The female/male proportion for all employees average
total weekly earnings in May 1975 was also 67 per cent and this has fluctuated
little in the past 22 years.
The latest earnings distribution figures, for May 1996, show that 63.6
per cent of workers with total earnings of under $100 per week were women,
and only 20.8 per cent of people with total earnings of $800 per week
and over were women. This latter figure may reflect an improvement in
the situation of some women as in May 1994 an estimated 19.0 per cent
of people with total earnings of $800 per week or more were women.
In May 1996, the median total earnings figure for all female employees
was $434.20 per week compared with $630.00 for all male employees, and
the median total weekly earnings for full-time adult female employees
was $576.80 compared with $701.30 for full-time adult male employees.
Reasons for the disparity in earnings levels include the lower awards
for traditionally female occupations and the predominance of women in
part-time employment. In addition Australia has one of the highest incidences
of both occupation and industry segregation of women workers amongst OECD
countries.
Women are over-represented in the lowest paid jobs (traditional female
occupations). Two-thirds of women workers are concentrated in five occupational
groups: teaching, nursing, clerical, sales and personal services. They
are under-represented in many occupations such as engineering, science
and technology positions, and trades. In February 1997, for example, only
9.3 per cent of tradespersons and related workers were women, while 90.1
per cent of advanced clerical and service workers were women. Within industries,
women tend to be clustered at the lowest salary levels.
Management
The progress of women into management positions has been generally slow.
According to a survey by Korn/Ferry International, Study of boards
of directors in Australia, by 31 December 1995 women in companies
comprised only 4.2 per cent of board members, only 1 per cent of executive
directors and only 5.6 per cent of non-executive directors. Of the companies
surveyed (including government business enterprises) only 26 per cent
had at least one woman on their boards. By comparison, in the USA 63 per
cent of companies had at least one woman on their boards and 7 per cent
of directors overall were women.
In terms of appointments to Commonwealth Government statutory boards,
councils and authorities, 28.9 per cent of members were women (as at 31
December 1995). Following a 1988 Government resolution that at least 25
per cent of places on government boards, councils and committees be filled
by women the proportion increased from 12 per cent to approximately 20
per cent by 1992.
Income
Of persons whose principal source of income in 1994-95 was wages or
salaries, the mean gross total income (from all sources) of women
was only 65.8 per cent of the average (mean) for men. For all persons,
the mean gross total income (from all sources) of women was only 55.8
per cent of the average (mean) for men. The distribution of total gross
incomes from all sources is distorted against women: 60.4 per cent
of people with annual incomes of less than $5 000 were women whilst only
19.1 per cent of people with incomes of $40 000 and over were women (compared
with 17.4 per cent in 1991).
Table 2: Persons(a) whose Principal Source of Income was Wages or
Salaries, 1994-95
Men Women All persons
Annual gross Prop. Prop. Prop. Prop.
income(b) of of of who
Number total Number total Number total were
women
($) ('000) (%) ('000) (%) ('000) (%) (%)
Less than 5 000 187.6 4.7 286.3 9.6 473.9 6.8 60.4
5 000 ¾ 12 499 234.5 5.9 476.4 16.0 710.9 10.2 67.0
12 500 ¾ 19 999 391.1 9.8 587.8 19.7 979.1 14.0 60.0
20 000 ¾ 29 999 1 061.2 26.5 883.4 29.7 1 944.7 27.9 45.2
30 000 ¾ 39 999 955.1 23.9 483.6 16.2 1 438.8 20.6 33.6
40 000 ¾ 49 999 594.3 14.9 175.9 5.9 770.2 11.0 22.8
50 000 and over 577.6 14.4 85.8 2.9 663.4 9.5 12.9
Total 4 001.6 100.0 2 979.4 100.0 6 981.0 100.0 42.7
(a) Aged 15 years and over. (b) From all sources.
Source: Survey of Income and Housing Costs, 1994-95 (ABS).
Women and Poverty
In Australia, in June 1996 women made up about 62 per cent of Australia's
adult (civilian) pensioners and beneficiaries (compared with 58 per cent
in June 1994), and 93.6 per cent of sole parent pensioner families
were headed by women. Single parent families were over-represented at
the lowest income levels and therefore those most likely to be living
below poverty level standards were women and children. Of all families
with dependent children, 20.5 per cent are sole parent families, and of
these about 78.6 per cent are headed by women.
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