Gender Diversity in Australia’s Digital Health Workforce Reports

With a lack of research and data in gender diversity in digital health, both in Australia and internationally, a survey was commissioned in 2021 to understand the current state of gender diversity, career progression and equity within digital health, and to reflect the perspectives of people from all genders who work in the sector. The Understanding gender diversity in Australia’s digital health sector reports provide a deep exploration into the survey findings, setting a benchmark for future iterations of the survey to build upon. The survey findings also help to inform the actions needed to create change and achieve progress for gender equity and career advancement in digital health.

In 2024, the second edition of the survey was commissioned. The 2023 census included specific gender diversity questions from over 500 people. While this survey seeks to understand the issue of gender diversity, the survey partners acknowledge diversity is more than gender. A workforce comprising people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, experiences and beliefs provides a richness to foster greater innovation, connection to customers and helps people thrive.

The 2021 report showed:

• While more than 90 per cent of women respondents said they believe there is still progress to be made in reaching gender equity, one in five men respondents disagreed.
• Fewer women respondents than men respondents intend to continue to work in digital health (77 per cent and 90.8 per cent respectively) yet over nine in 10 respondents advised they would still recommend a career in digital health to others (93.4 per cent).
• Different views between the genders regarding senior leadership, with more men than women believing there is a sufficient proportion of women in senior leadership positions (67.8 per cent of men compared to 51.5 per cent of women). Yet, more survey respondents noted reporting to a man (52.6 per cent) than a woman (41.1 per cent).
• Career progression is a key theme addressed throughout the report, with more women (66.3%) than men (35.6%) agreeing there are not clear pathways for career progression in digital health. Furthermore, survey respondents identified several opportunities for creating clearer career pathways within the sector, such as qualifications and defined processes and practices for career development.

You can view the 2021 report here.

The 2024 report in comparison highlighted;

• 10 per cent more women that have more than 10 years’ digital health experience compared to three years ago 

• Over 97% of women believe progress and change needs to be made in order to reach gender equity 

• 34 per cent of women were managing others compared to 13 per cent of men 

• 55 per cent of women felt that they needed to prove themselves in the workplace compared to 50 per cent of men.
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