There’s something quietly radical about a country moving from 50th to 13th on the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index in just four years. While the Prime Minister’s comments this morning may have had the tone of a campaign sticker, the data behind it holds up—Australia, once a middling performer on global gender parity, has made its biggest leap in history.
The numbers are striking. In 2021, Australia sat at 50th place. A year later, it crept to 43rd. Then came the leap: 26th in 2023, 24th in 2024, and now, in 2025, the country has landed at 13th—its highest-ever position since the index began in 2006. Senator Katy Gallagher, the Minister for Women, attributes this jump to political will and practical reforms: gender-balanced leadership, policy overhaul, and a deliberate push to embed equality across economic and political systems.
The index assesses four pillars: economic participation, education, health, and political empowerment. Australia’s strongest gain? Politics. After the 2022 federal election, women made up 53% of the Ministry and 43% of the Cabinet. Parliamentary representation surged. Compared to the US—where women make up less than 30% of Congress—Australia now looks like a frontrunner in political gender equity. The political sub-index alone saw Australia leap from 54th to 28th in a few short years.
A suite of policy interventions added momentum: expanded paid parental leave, cheaper childcare, pay transparency laws, and paid domestic violence leave. They went to the heart of the gendered structure of work and family—and they made a dent. The national gender pay gap is now 11.9%, down from 18.6% a decade ago. Female workforce participation has hit 63.5%, the highest on record. Women now make up 29% of ASX300 board seats. Still not equal, but no longer token.
And yet, there’s a catch. The economic participation pillar remains Australia’s Achilles heel. Even with recent gains, the country ranks 42nd here. Wage inequality remains stubborn. Women still earn, on average, $25,000–30,000 less than men in full-time work. Many of the highest-paying sectors—tech, finance, construction—remain male-dominated. And despite policy shifts, unpaid care remains a heavily gendered burden. Women still do nine more hours of unpaid labour per week than men.
Compare this to the Nordics. Iceland, the perennial chart-topper, has closed over 92% of its overall gender gap. Finland and Norway aren’t far behind. Their formula isn’t mysterious: generous parental leave (for both parents), universal childcare, and a cultural shift that sees equality as foundational, not optional. Australia, at 79.2%, still lags this top tier. But it now outranks Canada (76.1%), the US (74.7%), and Germany (81%) on some measures.
Education is another mixed bag. On paper, Australia does well—women outnumber men in tertiary enrolment, and literacy is universal. But the WEF index penalises imbalance in either direction. Fewer boys finish Year 12 than girls, so Australia slipped to 84th for education parity in 2024. This isn’t because girls are underperforming. The reverse. But the rankings reflect imbalance, not just disadvantage. A quirk? Perhaps. But it suggests future efforts must support both genders—especially boys at risk of dropping out.
Health is the quiet achiever. Australia scores around 95% parity here, despite ranking in the 80s or 90s. Again, this is more technical than troubling. Australian men and women enjoy near-universal healthcare, and the healthy life expectancy gap is small. Some developing countries rank higher because of statistical quirks (like sex ratio at birth or female longevity). Australia’s real-world performance is solid—and improving—even if the index rank doesn’t always reflect that.
Where Australia shines now is as a case study in rapid change. The speed of its climb—from 50th to 13th—is rare. Most countries shuffle up or down a few spots annually. This is a structural jump, built on reforms and representation. Gallagher’s point is well made: “This leap is no accident.”
There’s a caution, though. Gains can be reversed. The Monash lens report observed that during conservative governments, Australia’s gender parity often stagnated. Under Labor, it improved. Whether that’s correlation or causation is open to debate. But the point stands: progress needs protecting.
Abroad, the comparisons are telling. The UK has surged to 4th. New Zealand sits at 5th, ahead of Australia, but the gap has narrowed. Japan is stuck near 125th, with yawning gaps in both politics and work. The US, despite its wealth and influence, is around 43rd. Australia now finds itself punching above its weight—not quite Nordic, but far from laggard.
Globally, the gender gap is still 68.8% closed, according to the WEF. At this rate, full parity won’t arrive for 123 years. But Australia’s rise suggests that with concentrated effort, countries can defy that grim timeline. As the WEF’s Saadia Zahidi put it, economies that push for gender parity build stronger, more innovative futures.
Australia’s next challenge is staying the course. Gallagher warned against complacency: “Gains for gender equality can be lost and need to be protected.” The 2025 report is a win—but it’s not the end. There’s 21% of the gap still open. The ladder’s not yet climbed. But the country’s grip has never looked steadier.
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📈 #Australia has jumped from 50th to 13th on the Global Gender Gap Index in just four years. 🌏 Gains in politics, reforms & female workforce participation drove the rise. 🚺 Equality advances, but challenges remain. 💪 #TheIndianSun
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