Despite record education levels and rising numbers of women entering the workforce, new research conducted by The Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency’s (EOWA) shows that employers are failing to provide a level of flexibility that enables women to fully participate and contribute to growth in the Australian economy.

Caring responsibilities continue to be the key influencer on women’s career decisions and opportunities. Workplaces are still not providing the level of flexibility required, close to half of women (45%) believe their organisation does not genuinely support work/life balance, and 42% feel that they do not have access to flexible work conditions.

It’s not only women that recognise they are disadvantaged in the workplace. The report also revealed that men are too aware of the barriers encountered by women. 21% of men do not believe that women and men are treated equally in their workplace and 46% of men feel that their workplace can be ‘bit of a boys club’. Further, over a third of women (36%) and 31% of men recognise that it is difficult for women to balance a career with motherhood.

While men are aware of the issues and report being almost as family focussed, it seems they are not doing much to help. There has not been an increase in demand for family friendly conditions and they are not spending additional time on household or caring duties. In fact, more than half of the women surveyed say that their partners do less of the unpaid domestic and caring work than they do, and a third state that they would be more likely to increase their hours in paid employment if they received more help.

EOWA Director, Anna McPhee said there was a clear discrepancy in what ‘Generation F’ - women aged between 16-65 - want and expect from a role and a workplace and what they actually experience.

“Gender biases and old school attitudes are preventing Generation F’s full participation in the workforce. If women’s ambition and career plans are recognised and supported they can make a major impact on Australia’s productivity at a time when it is widely recognised that we need more hands on deck’’.

EOWA’s research involved an extensive qualitative and quantitative study of more than 1600 people (both men and women) across Australia to determine their career aspirations and employer expectations in order to determine the most important issues and understand the experiences of women in the workplace.