Written by Olivia Baker
I have had the joy of working within the most dominant global industry for ten years. Throughout my time in the finance industry, I have been responsible for managing risk and ensuring that the most economical long-term outcome is achieved for the customer and business.
Working in finance has been wonderful exposure, allowing me to learn about the inner workings of financial crime threats, how leakage payments can impact a business, the importance of finance, and ultimately, how misconduct can impact society.
Throughout my career, I can confidently say that I have observed a positive shift from a male-dominated demographic to a balanced dynamic of female financial analysts, forensic accountants, insurance brokers, and investment bankers, including Chief Financial Officers and Chief Executive Officers. Personally, witnessing the positive female influence shift firsthand within the industry has been inspirational for me. Motivating me to continue pursuing my career, elevate my confidence, and drive me to continuously develop my knowledge through Charles Sturt University.
Given the recent emergence of finance activity trending on social media, women have had greater recognition in the finance industry given the major stance that the monetary economic sphere has impacted society by way of inflation pressures and cost of living prices.
Reference: https://www.tiktok.com/discover/Women-in-finance
This greater recognition has also been seen with Michelle Bullock, commencing as Governor to Chair the Reserve Bank of Australia, Payments System Board, and Council of Financial Regulators effective of 18 September 2023. Prior to Michelle commencing, the 2 previous male chairmen, Phillip Lowe, and Glenn Stevens secured the Governor role for more than 10 years.
Additionally, women have received further recognition via the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), and this change has been applied to finance workplaces earlier this year to assist with improving and promoting equal pay grades for women in finance. This has been a major factor for me while working in the finance industry, as I have personally received recognition for this attribute.
In my opinion, closing the gender diversity pay gap will aid the reshaping of the financial services industry by way of promoting a gender-inclusive work culture. Therefore, empowering women within the financial industry and allowing women to pursue equal access to the same opportunities as men, enabling women in finance to continue to develop and showcase their passion.
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