Telstra Health, the Australasian Institute of Digital Health (AIDH), the Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre (DHCRC) and CSIRO’s Australian e-Health Research Centre partnered to launch the understanding gender diversity in digital health survey, the first survey of its kind which aimed to understand gender diversity across Australia’s digital health sector.
With a lack of research and data in gender diversity in digital health, both in Australia and internationally, the survey was commissioned to understand the current state of gender diversity, career progression and equity within digital health, and to reflect the perspectives of people from all genders who work in the sector.
The Understanding gender diversity in Australia’s digital health sector report provides a deep exploration into the survey findings, setting a benchmark for future iterations of the survey to build upon. The survey findings reveal that respondents believe the key areas of concern in digital health include:
- gender inequities;
- lack of defined career pathways and lack of knowledge about the sector for identifying opportunities;
- difficulty moving between areas because of lack of clarity;
- insufficient training and qualifications;
- lack of support in professional development (including lack of networking opportunities and insufficient mentoring);
- job insecurity; and
- dissatisfaction with salary and, to a lesser extent, lack of part-time positions.
Women were more impacted than men for many of these areas of concern. Through identifying the areas within the digital health industry that are creating gender disparity, businesses, employers and employees with touchpoints to the sector can understand how we, as a combined sector, can strive for greater job satisfaction while at the same time increasing gender equality by improving on these areas.
