Female workers are more unionised than male workers in Australia, after a decades-long trend that has dramatically changed the union agenda.

The typical unionist no longer wears a hard hat but is more likely to be a teacher, a nurse or childcare worker, workplace experts say.

Almost 19 per cent of female workers are members of a union, compared with 17.5 per cent of male workers. In 1990, 35 per cent of women and 45 per cent of men and were in unions, Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show.

As a result of the change, greater job flexibility, family-friendly hours, equal pay, paid parental leave and domestic violence leave dominate the union agenda. Ged Kearney, a former nurse and now president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, said unions were more focused on policies that directly affect women.