People with disability in leadership roles
On this page:
Feel represented in leadership
References
People with disability are significantly underrepresented on boards, in politics and in other leadership roles in Australian society. Increased inclusion of people with disability in leadership roles will facilitate the inclusion of the perspectives of people with disability in decision-making. This will make decisions more reflective of the community (Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031).
The inclusion of people with disability in leadership roles can play a key role in progressing disability responsiveness throughout the workforce and demonstrate commitment to supporting diversity (Australian Council of Learned Academies 2022).
Feel represented in leadership
People with disability were asked “Do you feel that people with disability are well represented in leadership roles?” as part of Australia’s Disability Strategy Survey – Share with us.
The desired key community attitude outcome for this measure is to see an increase in people with disability in leadership roles.
Community attitude measure: Proportion of people with disability who report feeling represented in leadership roles
Desired outcome: Increase in the proportion
Data source: Australia’s Disability Strategy Survey – Share with us 2022
Latest results: 2022 (Baseline)
- In 2022, 19% of people with disability aged 18 and over reported feeling represented in leadership roles.
- A higher proportion of males with disability aged 18 and over (23%) reported feeling represented in leadership roles than females (16%) (Figure 8.3).
Things to consider when interpreting results:
- People with disability who responded “Not sure” or “Prefer not to answer” were excluded from the calculation.
Figure 8.3: Proportion of people with disability who report feeling represented in leadership roles, by gender, 2022
The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (aged 18 and over) who felt that they were well represented in leadership roles, grouped by gender. In 2022, 23% of men with disability felt that people with disability are well represented in leadership roles, as did 16% of women with disability (please note that the numbers for 'Non-binary/Other' gender category were not published due to small sample numbers and to protect confidentiality).
| Gender | Proportion (%) | 95% Confidence Interval |
|---|---|---|
| Males | 23% | (20.6%–24.5%) |
| Females | 16% | (14.4%–17.4%) |
| Non-binary/ other | n.p. | n.p. |
| All persons | 19% | (18.0%–20.4%) |
Notes:
- n.p. (not published) Category has been suppressed to avoid identifying individual people.
- Restricted to people with disability aged 18 and over who responded "Yes" or "No" to the question "Do you feel that people with disability are well represented in leadership roles?".
- With disability includes those with disability or restrictive long-term health condition.
Source: DSS (Department of Social Services) 2023. Australia's Disability Strategy Survey – Share with us 2022, DSS, DSS and AIHW analysis of unit record data, accessed 24 July 2023.
Source:
Australia’s Disability Strategy Survey – Share with us
|
Data source overview
For figure notes, see Appendix C: Figure notes and sources.
For the latest data and breakdowns of the data, see Australia’s Disability Strategy Outcomes Framework | Feel represented in leadership
Australian Council of Learned Academies (2022) Ensuring Occupations are Responsive to People with Disability, Disability Gateway website, Australian Government, accessed 25 September 2023.
Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031 (2021), Department of Social Services, Australian Government, accessed 13 September 2023.
Previous page
Key sector attitudes to people with disability
Next page
Value and respect for people with disability