For decades, the conversation surrounding workplace financial equality has focused heavily on the gender pay gap.
However, a major new shift in how Australians view wealth accumulation suggests that focusing solely on salaries is missing a critical piece of the puzzle.
Recent data reveals that a steady salary is no longer considered enough to get ahead, with 53% of Australian employees stating that income alone is insufficient to build long-term wealth. Instead, workers are increasingly looking toward equity, with a striking 76% open to taking a portion of their pay in shares. Yet, despite this massive appetite for ownership, a critical barrier remains: 51% of employees are entirely unfamiliar with employee share schemes.
This disconnect forms the foundation of a newly identified ‘ownership gap’ which threatens to widen Australia’s gender wealth divide if left unaddressed. While younger workers are actively driving the demand for non-traditional, wealth-building remuneration, women remain statistically less likely to be familiar with, receive, or even consider shares as part of their total compensation package.
Women Love Tech sat down with Susannah Batley, General Manager of Sharesies Business, to discuss the findings of their recent YouGov study of over 1,000 Australian employees, and what women can do to shift their focus from what they earn to what they own.
Exclusive Q&A with Susannah Batley, General Manager, Sharesies Business
Tell us more about the overlooked ownership gap contributing to Australia’s gender wealth divide?
The ownership gap is the difference between earning an income and owning assets that have the potential to grow in value over time. While conversations about financial equality often focus on pay, ownership plays an important role in building long-term wealth.
Our research suggests an ownership gap may be emerging in workplace equity. Women are less likely to be familiar with employee share schemes, less likely to have received shares through work, and less likely to consider shares as part of their remuneration. As more Australians look beyond salary to build long-term wealth, that gap in participation risks becoming a gap in ownership.
Employee share schemes can be a powerful tool because they give employees a stake in the success of the business they help build. If women are participating at lower rates, they may be missing out on another pathway to wealth creation, which could contribute to the broader gender wealth divide over time.
What is practical advice for women to help build long-term wealth through work?
Don’t just ask what you’re being paid. Ask what you have the opportunity to own. Long-term wealth is built through ownership as well as income.
One of the most practical things women can start with is looking beyond salary when thinking about the value of their work. Remuneration isn’t just about the pay that lands in your bank account – it can also include benefits that help build wealth over time, such as superannuation contributions, employee share schemes, and other ownership opportunities.
Our research shows that awareness is a major barrier, with women less likely to be familiar with employee share schemes. That means an important first step is understanding what opportunities are available through your workplace and asking questions if you’re unsure how they work.
As ownership becomes an increasingly important part of how Australians build wealth, making sure women have the knowledge and confidence to participate is critical to helping close the ownership gap and improve long-term financial outcomes.
Survey Outcomes: Salary alone is no longer enough
Here are some of the main highlights of the survey.
● More than half of Australian employees (53%) say salary alone is not sufficient to build long-term
wealth, reinforcing the need for broader pay models.
● 76% of Australian employees would consider taking at least some of their pay in shares,
signalling strong appetite for ownership as part of total remuneration – of these, 73% are open to
allocating up to 10% of pay, showing practical, not just theoretical, demand.
● 57% of Australian employees aged 18–34 are more open to non-traditional pay than five years
ago, pointing to a structural shift in workforce expectations.
● 51% Australian employees are unfamiliar with employee share schemes, revealing a clear gap
between demand and awareness.
For more information, visit https://sharesies.com.au/.
