Australia’s biggest employers are offering surprising benefits to keep women on board

The top workplaces for women in 2023 have been ranked in the lead up to International Women’s Day. To see if your employer made the cut, check out our searchable list.

Carly Douglas

@Carly__Douglas

2 min read

March 4, 2023 - 1:53PM

Gemma Lloyd from Work180 and her team have produced a Top 101 Employers for Women list. Picture: Jared G Marshall.

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If employers want to get ahead they better to start listening to their female employees, says Work180 CEO Gemma Lloyd.

“Women care about more than just pay,” Ms Lloyd said.

“Many women have been disillusioned by empty promises from employers when it comes to flexibility … and four in five women want to know what employers are actually doing to create a diverse and inclusive workplace.”

Gemma Lloyd from Work180 says women are “disillusioned” with empty promises. Picture: Jared G Marshall.

Unlike their US counterparts, Australian women are now putting paid leave entitlements and flexibility ahead of career development, according to a new study by Ms Lloyd and her team.

The trend has prompted some of Australia’s biggest employers to lay an array of extra benefits on the table, with some offering leave for IVF, extended volunteering leave and even leave for gender reassignment surgery.

In the lead-up to International Women’s Day, Ms Lloyd’s team at Work180 – a global jobs network helping women find workplaces they can trust – have compiled a list of the top 101 workplaces for women in 2023.

“We scored each workplace across 10 workplace standards, including hiring practices, paid parental leave, flexible working and inclusive and anti-discriminatory behaviours,” Ms Lloyd said.

“The ones that are really leading, the pace setters, they’re taking all of that to the next level.”

EY, ranked number one on the list, boasts 26 weeks paid parental leave for all parents, regardless of gender, flexible working options and targeted sponsorship programs to encourage women into leadership positions.

“When the aspirations, capabilities and contributions of women at EY are fully realised, more women will put their hands up for leadership positions,” partner in the strategy and transactions team at EY Julia Fry said.

EY’s Julia Fry has been a powerful force in promoting social equity in the workplace. Picture: Supplied

Ms Fry, who has been a powerful force in promoting social equity in the workplace, said the company’s efforts now mean “EY’s Oceania workforce is now 52 per cent women”.

Ms Lloyd said the results for businesses making the change has been stark, with employers with the highest scores in the DEI Assessment (Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive) receiving on average 105 per cent more job ad views and 100 per cent more job applications.

She said more women in positions of power also means “less sexual harassment, a safer environment, more diversity, a wider range of customers and clients, and role models for women”.

“In the lead-up to International Women’s Day we need to move past cupcakes and flowers and start making sure employers are walking the talk when it comes to creating inclusive and equitable workplaces.”