Roe v. Wade | A message from WORK180’s CEOs

Mining, resources and energy

The mining and energy sector has historically had some of the largest gender gaps in Australia. The endorsed employers we work with in this space have made measurable progress on flexibility, parental leave and leadership representation. Essential Energy ranked ninth nationally in the 2026 Top 101, and other endorsed energy employers on the list include AGL Energy, APA Group, Synergy and Tilt Renewables.

Engineering and construction

Engineering and construction face structural challenges around the design of work itself, particularly around long hours, FIFO arrangements, and on-site culture. Endorsed employers in this space have invested in flexible roster design, anti-harassment policies and active sponsorship of women into senior technical roles. SYSTRA ANZ ranked seventh nationally in the 2026 Top 101, and other endorsed engineering and construction employers on the list include Aurecon, AECOM, Stantec Australia and Webuild.

Technology

Technology is one of the most developed sectors for women-friendly policies in Australia, in part because the talent shortage has forced employers to compete harder on retention. Endorsed tech employers tend to lead on flexibility, returnship programs, and structured sponsorship. hipages Group ranked second nationally in the 2026 Top 101, and other endorsed technology employers on the list include Aristocrat, carsales, REA Group and Iress.

Banking, finance and insurance

Banking and finance have some of the largest pay gaps in Australia (more on that below), but a small group of employers in this sector are setting the pace on closing them. Endorsed financial services employers consistently score well on parental leave, flexibility, and pay equity action. Liberty Financial ranked sixth nationally in the 2026 Top 101, and other endorsed finance employers on the list include Netwealth Investments, Toyota Finance Australia and Steadfast Group.

Healthcare and professional services

Healthcare and professional services tend to have stronger gender representation overall but persistent gaps in senior leadership and specialist roles. Endorsed employers in this sector are working on the structural drivers, particularly around progression, sponsorship and pay equity at the senior end. In healthcare, endorsed employers on the 2026 list include CSL, Siemens Healthineers and Australian Red Cross Lifeblood. In professional services, EY ranked first nationally, with Dentons Australia, CPA Australia and Accenture also on the list.

How to evaluate any employer using the same framework

Lists are useful, but most employers you’ll consider in your career won’t be on one. Here’s the framework you can apply to any employer.

Look for transparent paid parental leave (with benchmarks)

The headline weeks number is the easy part. The signal you’re looking for is specificity. A women-friendly employer publishes the exact number of paid weeks for primary and secondary carers, says whether super is paid during leave, names whether tenure-based eligibility applies, and explains how the policy works for adoption, surrogacy and pregnancy loss.

If the careers page just says “generous parental leave,” it’s not generous.

Look for genuine flexible work, not just a policy

Every employer of size has a flexibility policy. The question is whether it’s the default or whether it’s something you have to argue for. Look for language like “default flexible,” “hybrid by design,” or specific commitments to compressed hours or job sharing. If flexibility is described as a perk or a benefit, it’s likely the kind of thing managers can refuse on a whim.

Look for pay equity action, not just statements

A statement about pay equity is meaningless without action. Specific action looks like an annual gender pay gap analysis, an equal remuneration policy, salary band transparency, and a published explanation of the employer’s gender pay gap with what they’re doing about it.

For employers with 100 or more staff, you can check the WGEA Data Explorer to see their published gap and any improvement year on year.

Look for representation in leadership

Walk through the executive team page on any employer’s website. Count the women. Count the women in technical or operational leadership specifically, not just HR and marketing. Then check the board composition.

If senior leadership is heavily male and technical leadership is exclusively male, the policies on flexibility and parental leave matter less than the underlying culture.

Look for safety, anti-discrimination, and DV leave

The 2022 Respect@Work reforms made employers proactively responsible for preventing sexual harassment. Look for evidence the employer has acted on this: published policies, training programs, anonymous reporting mechanisms, and a stated commitment to Respect@Work standards.

Family and domestic violence leave is a good shorthand for whether an employer treats safety as a priority. Every Australian employer has a legal floor of 10 days paid. Employers who go above the floor are signalling something useful.

Red flags to watch for when researching an Australian employer

The flip side of the framework is the warning signs. A few stand out.

Vague answers on parental leave specifics

If you ask a recruiter or interviewer for the exact weeks of paid primary carer leave and they don’t know, or they say “you’d need to check with HR,” that tells you the answer isn’t impressive. Specific is good. Vague is a flag.

Flexibility that’s “by exception” rather than default

Watch for the language. “We support flexibility for the right candidate” is code for “you’ll have to ask permission.” “Our default is flexible” is the version you want.

No women in technical or operational leadership

Plenty of employers have women in HR, comms and finance leadership and zero women anywhere near operational P&L. This usually correlates with structural problems in how the business is actually run.

A WGEA gender pay gap report they don’t talk about

If an employer has published their WGEA report and not said a word about it on their careers page or in interview, they’re likely not proud of what’s in it. Check the Data Explorer yourself.

How to use WORK180 to compare endorsed employers side by side

Once you’ve got a shortlist, the platform is built to let you compare them on the things that matter.

Comparing by policy area

You can filter the directory by specific policy areas: flexible and remote working, paid parental leave, women in leadership, pay equity, career development, or policies and support. This surfaces the employers performing strongest on each.

Comparing by industry and location

You can also filter by industry, location, and company size, which is particularly useful if you want to compare like with like (a 200-person tech company isn’t directly comparable to a 50,000-person bank).

Reading the “what women say” insights

Every endorsed employer’s profile includes insights from the women already working there, because we ask. These aren’t reviews on a public site. They’re structured feedback collected as part of the endorsement process, and they tend to capture nuance that doesn’t make it onto careers pages.

Key takeaways

• The top 10 ranked employers in 2026 score consistently across all ten WORK180 standards, not just one or two.
• Use the same framework employers are ranked against to evaluate any organisation: parental leave specifics, flexibility as default, pay equity action, representation in leadership, and safety.
• Specifics are credible. Vague language about commitment is not.
• The WGEA Data Explorer is your friend. Every employer with 100 or more staff publishes their gender pay gap there.
• WORK180 endorsement isn’t a one-time tick. It requires clearing our minimum criteria and an ongoing commitment to progress.

Frequently asked questions

How is the WORK180 list compiled?

Every endorsed employer is assessed against ten workplace standards through a detailed DEI assessment. Rankings are based on performance against those standards, with the top scorers featuring in our annual list.

How often are the rankings updated?

The full ranking is refreshed annually, with rolling updates to individual employer profiles as their data changes.

What does endorsed mean?

Endorsed means the employer has cleared our minimum criteria (paid parental leave and flexibility, a commitment to ongoing improvement, and transparency about their policies) and had that verified rather than self-claimed. We then assess endorsed employers against ten workplace standards to determine the best. The full explainer is in our What does endorsed mean page.

How is this different to the Great Place to Work list?

The Great Place to Work list is based on employee survey results within Certified organisations. WORK180’s ranking is based on the policies and practices employers have in place against ten gender equity standards, plus structured insights from women working there. The two are complementary rather than competing.

Do you list small employers?

We endorse employers across all sizes, from scaleups to enterprise. Filter by company size on the directory to find ones at your preferred scale.

How do I get my employer endorsed?

If you’d like your employer to consider becoming endorsed, you can refer them through our employer page.

The bottom line

what to look for and where to look. Every employer in the top 10 is worth applying to. Every employer who’s earned our badge is worth shortlisting. And every employer who hasn’t yet can still be evaluated using the same framework.

The power’s in your hands. Use it.

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