In general, the numbers we like to see trending up did so (albeit by small margins):
- 16.3% of CEOs are female
- 28.5% of key management personnel are female
- 24.7% of positions on governing bodies (boards) are held by women.
It is worth noting that the dataset covers any Australian based company with more than 100 employees, so a lot of private companies are included as well as those in the ASX. Further opportunities to integrate the dataset with other key data collectors, such as the ATO, are also being explored by the agency, so the value of this gendered workforce dataset will only continue to grow.
The real question is how, or indeed if, companies who report to the WGEA are using the data to it to drive the much-needed change they will need to survive in our disrupted future? At WOB Leadership in Focus event hosted by BOC in North Ryde last night, graduates of our 2016 Next Generation of Corporate Female Leaders reported on the priorities and predictions of 150+ Australian and global leaders interviewed during the program. Near the top of the list was how to attract and retain quality people – in particular millennials and the generation that will come after this one.
With the WGEA dataset widely available to every final year University student seeking to find a company that will offer them the flexibility and values-driven roles, they are increasingly seeking, more organisations who are going to have to start acting on the data they provide in order to survive into the 2020s and beyond.