The gender pay gap currently stands at 23 per cent in Australia, but this statistic alone does not capture the full problem. If you don't have a job, the opportunity to work enough hours, or good working conditions, then wage parity is a secondary issue.

The latest data show 9.4 per cent of the female workforce had insufficient hours of work, compared to just 5.7 per cent of the male workforce.

As women make up the majority of both casual and part-time workers, insecure work disproportionately affects women. Credit:Stocksy

Around 400,000 women of working age are unemployed in Australia and 71.6 per cent of all part-time employees are women.

And since women of all working ages in Australia have attained higher qualifications than men, we are not maximising the potential of our workforce. There is now plenty of research showing that fully utilising the female workforce leads to higher economic growth.