New research from the Working for Women Research Partnership (WFWRP) shows overlapping life demands make women aged 40–55 more likely than other groups to both want and need workplace flexibility.
The WFWRP provides insights to improve gender equality, workforce participation and economic opportunity across Australia. It is a collaboration between the Australian Government’s Office for Women and researchers at the University of Melbourne’s Faculty of Arts, the Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion@Work at the University of Sydney and the Centre for Indigenous People and Work at the University of Technology Sydney.
The Partnership’s most recent study combines responses from a nationally representative survey of more than 6,000 workers with in‑depth qualitative research involving 397 mid‑life women from diverse backgrounds.
It examines the “midlife collision” of peak career responsibilities, intensified family care and health issues (including perimenopause and menopause), and shows how flexible working arrangements are crucial to women’s wellbeing, career prospects and economic security.
Associate Professor Brendan Churchill, a report co‑author, said the research shows mid‑life women want more flexibility than is currently available.
“There is a large, measurable gap between the flexibility mid‑life women want and what they have, and some sectors show urgent need for change,” Associate Professor Churchill said.
Key study findings include:
- The mid‑life cohort shows the largest gap between desired and actual flexibility (18.9%).
- Some sectors, notably rental/hiring & real estate and education, have very large mismatches between demand for flexibility and what is available (85.3%).
- Flexible options favoured by younger workers (compressed weeks, job‑share) are less accessible to mid‑life women.
- Mid‑life women report lower prospects for senior promotion and less pay adequacy than younger peers, compounding midlife work and care pressures.
- A majority of mid‑life women prefer fully remote work (53.0%) over hybrid (42.7%).
- Mid-life women are the least likely to report that their current jobs pay enough to cover the essentials.
Study co-author Professor Leah Ruppanner said flexibility is not a luxury for many mid‑life women.
“Many women are at career peaks, yet report reduced promotion prospects and inadequate pay, which intensifies the need for stable, meaningful flexible arrangements,” Professor Ruppanner said.
The report indicates that worker‑centred, reliably implemented flexible working supports retention of experienced staff, protects incomes and superannuation, and boosts productivity and wellbeing.
By contrast, poorly designed or unevenly applied flexibility can push highly skilled women into part‑time or lower‑level roles, with long‑term costs for individuals and the wider economy.
Associate Professor Churchill said the “midlife collision” points to a workplace problem, rather than a women’s problem.
“Fixing this requires employer action, not individual sacrifice. Employers who provide fair, predictable and meaningful flexibility protect talent, productivity and women’s futures.”
Each year, the WFWRF focuses on a specific population cohort. The Partnership runs for five years from 2025 to 2030 and aims to build the robust evidence base needed to support implementation of the Commonwealth Government’s Working for Women: A Strategy for Gender Equality.
The University of Melbourne members of the WFWRP are Associate Professor Brendan Churchill, Dr Elisabeth Crovara, Professor Leah Ruppanner, Professor Marie Seagrave, Dr Megan Sharp and Dr Shih Joo Tan.
