Research

The Gender Equity Initiative has three main research interests – the impact of technological changes on the future of women at work, measuring sources of discrimination and bias at work and the mental load. We have a range of research programs that capture these themes.

Research Program 1 – The impact of technological changes on the future of women at work

Technological advancement, automation and artificial intelligence will be increasingly utilised in our day-to-day work lives. This research program aims to identify how women will be impacted by these shifts, and what skills they require to be competitive in the future of work. This includes the exclusion of young women in STEM. Understanding women’s unique experiences is critical given that the future of work will equate to job loss in specific industries and occupations, and shifts in tasks and skills and we know that women cluster in certain industries and occupations.

Research Program 2 – Measuring sources of discrimination and bias at work

Women and caregivers face bias at work in various ways. This research stream investigates how caregiving can have a significant impact on workplace inequality, how gendered myths limit workplaces' sustainable engagement with employees, and organisations' ability to meet future of work challenges, and how organisations can recognise and mitigate gender bias and in data to ensure effective decision-making.

Research Program 3 – The Mental Load

This research program is investigating the mental load; the thinking work we do that combines cognitive and emotional labour. While there are theoretical understandings of the mental load, there is a dearth of quantitative research. This project expects to develop a consistent and reliable measure of the mental load and an understanding of its impacts on Australian families.