Women of PwC
Creating equal opportunities for women, both inside and outside of PwC.
Let’s Talk: Creating equal opportunities for women
Women are more confident and ambitious than ever before, according to our 2018 International Women’s Day report - Time to Talk: What has to change for women at work. Even so, employers still need to work harder to address issues of gender equality in the workplace. By empowering female career advancement we not only create gender equality, but we also create more diversified workplace communities. This means that we’re better equipped to solve society’s most significant problems because we are able to view them through the most holistic lens.
It’s why our PwC community, both locally and globally, is so committed to supporting all of our people. We do this by actively addressing the barriers to equality and continuously creating an absolutely inclusive culture. As a Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) Employer of Choice for Gender Equality, we’re proud of the work we’re doing to achieve gender equality throughout our firm and are dedicated to ensuring all of our people (regardless of whether their unique differences are visible or not) are equally supported throughout their respective careers.
Eliminating the pay and leadership gaps
We have conducted gender pay gap audits, released these publicly and were the first accounting and consulting firm in Australia to include partners into that analysis. PwC's overall gender pay gap for partners currently sits at 16%. The gender pay gap for our employees is 11%. On a like for like basis, the gender pay gap is 0.2%. PwC is determined to close the overall gap by increasing the diversity of the partnership overall, as well as ensuring that within the partnership, women continue to be given increased leadership opportunities. We also ensure all of our employees are fairly remunerated by maintaining a fair and unbiased process for all pay and promotion decisions.
In addition, we’re determined to have more women in senior leadership positions in the immediate future whilst also developing a strong pipeline for our next generation female leaders. We have set some of the most progressive gender targets with 50/50 entry to Director level roles and a 40 per cent minimum for admission to Partner level.
Equality at home
Equality needs to start in the home, but more often than not this isn’t possible to achieve without being matched with professional support. This is why we’ve designed policies that equally support all of our people, enabling women to progress in their chosen careers without any fear, concern or guilt over competing family or personal demands.
We provide you the flexibility and support (both financial and non-financial) so you don’t have to choose between work and family.
Some of the ways we’re achieving this include:
- All Roles Flex policy that enables you to create your own schedule.
- Progressive 18 week Parental Leave policy for mums, dads, foster carers, and parents of stillbirth, with no minimum service requirements and up to 12 months of superannuation contributions while on parental leave.
- Option to purchase up to an additional 12 weeks leave.
- Ongoing Mentoring and Coaching programs, as well as inclusive leadership training.
- A family and domestic violence policy, including unrestricted paid leave, financial assistance and support for people experiencing violence.
Find out more about our Culture & Benefits.
Diversity & Inclusion
Our chief diversity & inclusion officer is Julie McKay, who commenced in June 2017. One of Australia’s leading advocates for the social and economic empowerment of women, Julie spent 10 years as the Executive Director of UN Women Australia and was the Gender Advisor to the Chief of the Defence Force.
We have a diversity and inclusion plan which builds on the great progress we’ve already made and details how we will embed the right behaviours and build a truly diverse and inclusive culture. The aim of our diversity and inclusion plan is simple; to create a workplace where every day, all our people feel valued for what they bring, will thrive and inspire others.
Moving the dial outside of PwC
Women in Work Index 2019
PwC's Women in Work Index 2019 provides insights into another year of continued steps to improve gender equality in the world of work, and the evidence is clear. The index shows that improving female participation in work across the OECD could boost OECD GDP by US$6 trillion, while closing the gender pay gap could boost GDP by US$2 trillion.
Key findings:
- Iceland and Sweden retain their place as the top two performing OECD countries, with New Zealand occupying third place
- The UK has improved its position slightly, moving from the 14th to the 13th position on the Index
- Since 2000, Luxembourg and Poland have mad the largest improvements on the Index while Portugal, the United States and Austria have experience the greatest fall in the rankings over this period
Millennial Women
It’s crucial to bring female millennials to the front of mind when engaging in work-related discussions, as they are more highly educated and entering the workforce in larger numbers than any of their previous generations. This is the reason why we’ve created an environment that will truly help young women succeed, so that they are primed and ready to transition into future leadership roles.
Our own research report, which takes a deeper look at this talent group through the use of a career stage differential, depicts female millennials as more confident than any female generation before her, and as considering opportunities for career progression to be the most attractive trait a prospective employer could hold.
In addition, she considers an employer’s policy on diversity, equality and inclusion to be highly important – 71 per cent of women surveyed say that while organisations talk about diversity, they feel opportunities are not really equal for all yet.
