'Key report: Women directors shine – but few and far between: EOWA report
 While there are about 12 male board directors to every woman board director, when women finally make it onto the boards of Australia’s top 200 companies they appear to be punching above their weight, according to a new report launched by The Hon Tanya Plibersek at the recent Australian Women's Leadership Symposium in Canberra.
The research report, Pay, Power and Position: Beyond the 2008 EOWA Australian Census of Women in Leadership, was conducted by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency.
The Hon Tanya Plibersek – Minister for Housing and the Status of Women – used the launch to spell out some of the findings.
“The evidence shows once women have been appointed to boards, they are as influential as men with almost half of the individual women holding ASX200 board seats chairing at least one board committee,” said the Hon Tanya Plibersek.
The report counters commonly held stereotypes that presume that female board directors tend to chair human resources and OH&S committees.
Rather, women are just as likely as men to chair the most influential board committees such as audit, remuneration and governance committees.
However, at the executive manager level, women are being funnelled into support roles and remain underrepresented in key leadership positions. Women hold only 7% of key management personnel positions, those positions designated by a company in its annual report as having the most authority and responsibility for planning, directing and controlling activities of the business.
More so, the remuneration for female executive managers represents a gender pay gap of 28%. This is 11% higher than the national average gender pay gap.
According to Di Pierce, Director of Leadership and Development at Women & Leadership Australia, the report’s findings represent a mixed bag for women seeking leadership roles and recognition.
“Clearly, once women establish themselves at board level, they are making their mark,” said Ms Pierce. “However, getting there is still not easy. And the pay gaps are of great concern.”
Ms Pierce also reiterated the worrying fact that female representation at board director and executive management level across the ASX200 has declined for the first time since the Census was first conducted in 2002.
“However, the level of detail in the EOWA research is commendable,” noted Ms Pierce. “It’s a vital step in addressing the problems.”
According to Acting EOWA Director, Mairi Steele, “This report adds to EOWA’s Census of Women in Leadership and to our understanding of why women are so under represented in senior leadership roles in Australian businesses. Sadly, regardless of which way you look at the data, women are still disadvantaged and their skills are being underutilised.”
“The EOWA report shows that it’s not just about the absolute or relative numbers of women on boards, or at executive manager level, it’s also about the pay, power and position of women compared to their male colleagues.”
About the research
The report examines the pay, power and status of women in senior leadership roles in Australia's Top 200 companies. It is based on research conducted by Macquarie University as part of the EOWA 2008 Australian Census of Women in Leadership. The EOWA Census is based on the methodology developed by Catalyst, a partner organisation of DCA.
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