A team of leading researchers has released research on the benefits of flexible work to drive gender equality and benefit Australia’s people, businesses and economy.
Working for Women Research Partnership – evidence to support effective policy
An initiative under Working for Women: A Strategy for Gender Equality, the Working for Women Research Partnership (the Partnership) is led by the University of Sydney’s Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion @ Work, in collaboration with collaborating with the Centre for Indigenous People and Work (University of Technology Sydney) and researchers at the University of Melbourne.
Working with the Office for Women, the Partnership is producing rigorous data-driven evidence and insights to help government and industry drive gender equality.
What the research shows
The Good Flex, Bad Flex: Designing Flexibility for Gender Equality report focuses on flexible work as a structural lever for gender equality, economic security and workforce participation, highlighting the opportunities associated with good flex and risks associated with bad flex in Australia.
The research finds that not all flexible work is equal. Good flex gives workers genuine choice, security and opportunities for career progression. Bad flex limits control, reinforces insecurity and compounds existing inequalities. Good flex is a mutually beneficial arrangement providing real choice and control over work hours, patterns and location, enabling people to meet paid work alongside care, cultural and community needs without compromising job quality, security or progression.
Women are more likely to experience bad flex, tied to reduced hours, casual work, or tightly controlled schedules, particularly in feminised or frontline industries such as health, education, retail and care. Men are more likely to access good flex embedded in secure, full-time roles.
The report also highlights the experiences of women aged 40–55, showing that many highly skilled mid‑career women are forced to scale back work or stall careers to manage caring responsibilities, health needs and rigid job design. These decisions are often described as “choice” but are more accurately responses to systems of work that are not fit for purpose.
Importantly, the report finds that poorly designed flexibility has costs beyond individual workers. When participation is constrained by bad flex, we miss out on the contributions of capable people with critical skills and experience, reducing the overall capacity and quality of the workforce. By contrast, good flex delivers benefits for workers, employers and the economy through higher retention, productivity and sustained participation.
The challenges are different for women facing intersecting barriers, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, women with disability or chronic illness, migrant and refugee women, gender‑diverse workers, single mothers and women in regional areas.
The research shows that improving access to high-quality, well-supported flexible work is a shared responsibility across governments, employers, unions and industry, and is critical to achieving gender equality and economic security. The Actionable Insights Report proposes practical pathways for government and industry action to build access to high-quality flexible work.
The second year of research will focus on the gender segmented labour market, with a focus cohort of workers and managers in occupations with more than 90% gender segregation. It will examine the factors driving change and stagnation in gender-segregated workforces and help build the evidence base on barriers and incentives to shift these workforces.
How information is gathered
The reports are based on data gathered through a large, nationally representative survey of workers, including all genders, with boosted samples of groups often underrepresented in labour market research, such as First Nations workers, LGBTQI+ workers and migrants. Research included focus groups and yarning circles with mid-years women aged 40 to 55, segmented across work contexts (for example frontline and hybrid work), demographics (including migrant women, First Nations women and women with disability or chronic illness), location (such as outer suburban and regional areas) and with managers.
Find out more
The report will inform government policy and is freely available for use by industry and businesses to assist in developing equitable flexible work policies and practises.
Find out more about the Working for Women Research Partnership
Read Good Flex, Bad Flex: Designing Flexibility for Gender Equality and the Actionable Insights Report
Find out more about Working for Women, a 10-year Strategy for Gender Equality