The numbers don’t lie: Why Australia’s gender equality is stalling

The question is no longer if gender equality will happen – it’s whether businesses will step up or continue going through the motions while leaving women locked out of leadership, writes Vanessa Vershaw.

Australia loves the idea of progress. A 2023 survey found that 59 per cent of Australians believe gender equality is achieved or well on its way. But action speaks louder than opinions, and the data tells a different story. Women remain drastically under-represented in leadership, stuck on the outskirts of power rather than driving meaningful change. In some sectors, their numbers have even regressed to levels seen before 2020.

Yet, the hype around gender equality persists. Women-only networking events, International Women’s Day celebrations, and glossy corporate diversity plans create the illusion of momentum – but they aren’t always translating into real leadership opportunities. For all the panels, empowerment talks, and industry initiatives, many women remain on the sidelines. Some can’t even get into the metaphorical car, let alone take the wheel.

Why has Australia slid back?

One of the biggest obstacles is too much talk, not enough action:

• Quotas and diversity plans look great on paper but often fail to address the deeper structural barriers holding women back.
• Diversity initiatives lack proper investment, leaving many organisations questioning their effectiveness and refusing to fund programs that don’t seem to deliver tangible results.
• Diversity fatigue is real. Some men are feeling sidelined, resentful, or alienated by workplace diversity efforts, even pushing back against gender equity programs.

This pushback isn’t just anecdotal – it’s shaping corporate decision making. The truth is that if fear outweighs fairness, momentum will inevitably stall.

The consequence of surface-level diversity efforts

Few things illustrate this problem better than what I’ve experienced firsthand. As a workplace psychologist and high-performance specialist for over two decades, I designed and led a groundbreaking leadership program for women – rooted in psychological science and transformational change. It ran for four years and even won an award. Yet, despite its success, it was the hardest initiative I’ve ever had to launch.

Why? Because organisations aren’t willing to invest in targeted and evidence-based leadership development for women, even though studies consistently link gender-diverse leadership with higher profitability, stronger decision making, and accelerated financial returns. And we know that what works for men doesn’t also work for women, so strategies for success need to be more specific.

Instead, companies tend to opt for easy wins like:

• Funding women’s networking events instead of growing leadership pipelines.
• Sending female employees to boozy gatherings for “connection”.
• Hosting pole-dancing empowerment workshops rather than robust leadership development.

Yes, that actually happened.

How to fix Australia’s gender equality problem

Gender equality doesn’t happen on its own. It requires deliberate action, sustained commitment, and the willingness to challenge deeply ingrained systems. Without continuous effort, progress stalls, and the gap widens. Change isn’t automatic – it’s something we must push for, protect, and fight to maintain. Here’s what needs to happen:

• Stop treating diversity as a checkbox – fund initiatives that develop actual leadership skills and capabilities.
• Reframe the narrative – gender equality isn’t about taking something away from men; it’s about creating workplaces where talent, not gender, drives opportunity.
• Invest in long-term change – move beyond surface-level fixes and tackle deep-rooted biases that keep women from advancing.
• Hold leadership accountable – progress doesn’t happen just because executives nod along at corporate diversity events. It happens when the leaders champion change from the top down.

Momentum is slipping. The question is no longer if gender equality will happen – it’s whether businesses will step up or continue going through the motions while leaving women locked out of leadership. It’s time to take control of the wheel – before we lose sight of the road altogether.

Vanessa Vershaw is the author of The Sisterhood Paradox: The Psychology of Female Aggression at Work. She is an elite high-performance workplace psychologist and trusted adviser to executives and key decision-makers of ASX 20 and Fortune 100 companies globally.