Gender Diversity on Boards

The WOB Boardroom Gender Diversity Index (BGDI) was launched on International Women's Day in March 2010. It is the most comprehensive publicly available data measuring female participation on the boards of Australian organisations in the sectors listed below. The index components were selected because of their economic and social importance.

Summary Table - Numbers represent percentage of women on boards in that year in the designated sector.

Year Summary - Click on the years to read our overall summary of the BDI for the chosen year.

Sector Summary - Click the sector you are interested in to access the full data set from all years.

Sector	2020	2018	2016	2015	2013	2012	2011	2010
ASX100	32.2	29.3	25.3	23.5	18.5	17.2	14.0	11.8
ASX200	30.4	26.7	23.0	19.9	15.8	13.9	10.9	8.7
ASX201-300	23.2	19.1	15.9	13.4	NA	7.6	NA	NA
Affordable Housing	45.9	42.3	NA	39.6	NA	NA	NA	NA
Australian Deposit Taking Institutions Credit Unions / Banks / Building Societies	31.3	30.0	26.1	23.4	20.9	21.2	18.4	21.0
Charities / Not for Profits	40.4	40.2	NA	39.6	NA	NA	NA	NA
Cooperative Research Centres	30.1	28.3	25.5	24.2	17.1	18.2	18.3	17.3
Government Federal Top by remuneration	47.1	45.1	38.6	38.5	39.3	35.9	31.0	30.4
Government Federal Gender Balance on Government Boards Report	48.4	42.7 (2017)	40.5	39.1	41.7	38.4	35.3
Government Corporations: NSW	35.1	31.7	32.4	31.4	24.2	20.7	23.7	24.4
Government Corporations: New Zealand	47.9
Government Corporations: Qld	50.0	48.1	21.8	21.8	35.4	38.4	36.0	32.0
Government Corporations: SA	48.7	46.7	48.8	48.8	48.9	49.1	47.4	45.3
Government Corporations: Tas	46.0	47.4	28.6	28.6	25.6	25.0	28.1	NA
Government Corporations: Vic (A1, A2, A3 classified entities)	51.8	52.0	35.6	35.6	32.8	33.0	40.0	NA
Government Corporations: WA	49.0	34.7	29.7	25.9	29.1	23.1	27.8	NA
Health Funds	37.7	28.9	26.4	24.7	24.2	24.1	NA	NA
Health_AHPRA Boards	62.1	57.9	60.0	53.1	NA	NA	NA	NA
Health_Primary Health Networks	45.6	40.8	39.2	41.7	NA	NA	NA	NA
Health_State Services (NSW, Qld, Vic)	53.07	49.6	43.0	41.0	NA	NA	NA	NA
Medical Colleges	38.3	28.4	20.3	30.4	NA	NA	NA	NA
National Sporting Organisations	39.1	37.2	34.4	30.5	24.4	23.4	22.7	26.5
RDA Committees	38.7	36.7	36.9	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA
Research & Development Corporations	32.8	30.4	22.0	21.7	23.7	21.1	22.5	22.4
Superannuation Trustees	37.5	33.1	29.6	26.0	20.9	20.9	20.4	19.4
University Governing Bodies	48.0	42.3	37.4	34.7	NA	NA	NA	NA

2022: Greater gender balance across industries key to closing pay gap

Australia could reduce its gender pay gap by more than a third if all industries and occupations set and achieved a 40:40:20 gender diversity target. That’s according to the latest Gender Equity Insights report from the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA).

2020: Steady Progress Towards 40%

The percentage of women on boards has been rising slowly, but steadily, across the wide range of sectors reported in the biennial WOB Boardroom Gender Diversity Index.

2018: WOB calls for 40:40 by 2020

Of the 15 sectors analysed only some state governments, the Federal Government, Not For Profits, Affordable Housing, some health boards and University boards made the 40% grade. WOB has advocated for a minimum of 40% of the under-represented gender to the target for all boards for at least 10 years. With the support of the mighty WOB network it has put thousands of women on boards

2016: Women on Boards celebrates years of hard work

WOB celebrated 10 years of hard work in 2016 with the numbers of women on serving on boards continuing its slow trend upward across most sectors.

2015: All except Government trending to greater gender balance

Women on Boards evaluated 1422 organisations from more than 10 sectors in its 2015 edition of the Boardroom Diversity Index.

2013: Hope is not a business strategy’ for more women on boards

The evidence is that sectors with measurable gender balance targets are moving ahead of those that rely on good intentions and rhetoric alone.

2012: Small increase in percentage of women on boards

There have been small, but encouraging, signs that the recent gains in the number of female directors on the boards of ASX200 companies are being matched in other key sectors in the economy, according to findings from the latest WOB Boardroom Diversity Index (BDI).

2011: 100th International Women's Day: Women still marking time in the boardroom

Australian boards are not becoming more gender diverse and we run the risk of sidelining this critical issue in the hype surrounding the ASX200, a leading advocate and broker for women into board roles warned today.

2010: A benchmark for gender diversity on boards

Australia’s first comprehensive index to track the performance of key sectors in our economy on gender diversity in the boardroom was released on International Women's Day, 8 March 2010.