australian workers favour male bosses, but want to work in gender diverse teams

The majority (65%) of Australian employees prefer working for a male boss, but 90% of employees want to work in mixed-gender teams, according to the latest Randstad Workmonitor.

Australians claimed gender-diverse teams achieve better results than single-sex teams, with 83% claiming mixed-gender groups are more results-oriented. This was well ahead of the global average, with only 68% of respondents believing mixed-gender teams achieve better results globally.

Research showed Australians rank highly in the world on gender diversity, sitting 8th out of 33 countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas, well ahead of our neighbours New Zealand at 27th place.

Australian employees don’t perceive a significant difference in the general treatment of women and men in the workplace, with 84% believing both genders are equally supported in their company, and 83% claimed both sexes are similarly rewarded in similar positions, ahead of global averages.

However, gender bias was still perceived as an issue in more than 50% of Australian workplaces, with 60% indicating that men are favoured over women when two candidates equally qualify for the same job. 



Interestingly, more than half of Australian employees surveyed believe that with job seniority comes an increase in gender equality. This trend could be a potential sign that Australia is on the road to supporting female employees in senior roles. However, we must make sure that women are given equal opportunities to reach these senior roles, to begin with.

Randstad Workmonitor Q3 research highlights:

• 65% of Australians (65% globally; 58% in New Zealand) say they prefer a male as a direct manager. And 64% of Australians point out their direct manager’s gender is male.
• 90% of Australians (87% globally, 87% in New Zealand) prefer to work in a gender-diverse team. And 83% of Australians (84% globally; 81% in New Zealand) believe gender-diverse teams achieve better results than single-sex teams
• 84% of Australians (81% globally; 76% in New Zealand) believe men and women are treated equally in their organisations. And 83% of Australians believe at their employer, men and women are rewarded equally in similar positions
• 77% of Australians (70% globally, 65% in New Zealand) think women and men are similarly supported when applying for a job or asking for a promotion. Yet 60% of Australians stated men are favoured over women when two candidates equally qualify for a job
• 57% of Australians (61% globally; 46% in New Zealand) believe gender equality increases with seniority of the role
• 85% of Australians (75% globally; 80% in New Zealand) agree their direct manager is essential in setting the team spirit. And 79% of Australians (73% globally; 74% in New Zealand) agree their natural manager advocates company culture and sets the example.