Australian Women Are More Ambitious Than Ever

They have the plan. They're not telling you.

Culturally diverse women have clearer career plans than their peers. They are also far less likely to say so at work. That's the new finding in the 2026 Women's Workplace Visibility report by Cultivate Sponsorship and Women's Agenda, following the first national survey in 2024. Across 372 women surveyed, 55% want a promotion within three years. Just 12% blame a lack of skills. The barrier is who hears their ambition, and who doesn't.

Source: Women's Workplace Visibility in 2026, Cultivate Sponsorship in partnership with Women's Agenda. National survey of 372 women across career stages, April and May 2026.

What's new this year

The 2024 survey established the baseline. The 2026 researchers added an intersectional lens, looking at how cultural background, First Nations identity and disability shape the experience of career progression.

A quarter of respondents identified as culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD). The report treats this sample as directional because it is small. The direction is consistent.

Clearer plans, quieter at work

CALD women are ahead on planning.

43% have clarity on their next career options, almost double the 25% in the main sample.
41% have a two to five year plan, against 28% overall.
15% plan five to ten years out, against 8% overall.

Then the numbers flip.

Only 26% raise their ambitions with their immediate manager. Across the full sample it's 55%.
Only 19% raise them with peers and colleagues.
60% raise them with friends outside work.

The plan exists. It stays outside the building.

Respondents explained why in their own words. "I can't mention it openly at work due to the toxic environment." Others named trust, competition for scarce roles, and not wanting to sound "up myself".

The report suggests CALD women may be building their own career architecture because internal pathways don't feel trustworthy. Tähkä's reading is blunt: if the people who could sponsor you never hear your ambition, sponsorship won't happen by accident.

First Nations women: the picture is starker

The First Nations sample was too small for statistical comparison, but the report cites two external benchmarks.

0.7%.
Indigenous representation in senior leadership among employers reporting to Minderoo's Indigenous Employment Index.
Fewer programs.
Gari Yala's 2025 to 26 research found the share of organisations offering Indigenous leader or Elder sponsorship has dropped since 2020, even though people who had it reported higher job satisfaction and intention to stay.

Across all women: the barriers are structural

The full sample points the same way.

No clear options.
43% say they can't see a path to their next promotion.
Low visibility.
37% say they aren't seen at work.
Age.
Named more often than caring commitments, part-time status or career breaks as shaping how others judge their ability.

Being good at the current job can become the reason to stay in it.

One respondent: "I'm great at my current role so they don't want me to progress."

Support is going backwards

Women are asking for more. Many say they're getting less.

43% of all respondents say their employer pulled back on initiatives supporting women in the past year.
31% of CALD respondents say the same.
63% say their employer doesn't offer adequate mentorship or sponsorship.
75% say their employer can do more on gender equality in leadership.

Mentoring gives advice. Sponsorship opens doors.

A mentor tells you what to do. A sponsor is a senior leader who puts their own credibility behind you, in rooms you aren't in.

For a woman who won't voice her ambition at work, that difference decides whether anyone senior ever hears it. Cultivate's alumni data shows 73% of participants stay in contact with their sponsor after the formal program ends.

What to do next

Find out who hears ambition.
For each high-potential woman on your team, name someone above her line manager who knows what she wants next.
Ask why it isn't being said.
Talk to CALD and First Nations staff about what would make an internal career conversation feel safe.
Publish the pathways.
If 43% can't see their options, write them down.
Check for age bias.
Look at who has sat in the same role for five years or more, and why.
Protect sponsorship funding.
Treat it as ongoing structure, not discretionary spend.

If your most capable team member had a five-year plan and hadn't told you, would you ever find out?

↳ Get the full report from Cultivate Sponsorship: https://cultivatesponsorship.com/visibility-2026/

Frequently Asked questions

Who produced this research

Cultivate Sponsorship in partnership with Women's Agenda, an independent Australian news publication owned and run by women. The 2026 survey drew 372 responses in April and May 2026.

Is this the first edition?

No. The first national survey ran in 2024. The 2026 edition added an intersectional lens covering culturally diverse women, First Nations women and women with disability.

What does "intersectionality" mean here

It means looking at how several parts of someone's identity, such as cultural background, age or disability, combine to shape their experience at work.

Do culturally diverse women have less career clarity

No. They reported more clarity and longer planning horizons than the main sample. The gap is in who they tell. Only 26% raise their ambitions with their manager.

Why don't they raise it at work