Manufacturer Kimberly-Clark says the WGEA citation helped the organisation to sharpen its focus, set accountable targets and sustain momentum on gender equality.
Managing Director Belinda Driscoll
The value of the Citation lies not just in recognition, but in access to benchmarking, insight and practical expertise that supports executive decision‑making.
Manufacturing is a men-dominated industry. On average, women working in the industry earn nearly $16,000 less than men. 50% of employers have a gender pay gap larger than 13.4%. But at Kimberly-Clark, the gender pay gap is just 0.3%. It is one of the lowest in the sector and in the target range.
The company says this is the result of embedding gender equality into core business strategy.
Gender equality strategy backed by action
Kimberly‑Clark’s leaders describe their approach as deliberate, practical and long‑term. Executives set a goal 6 years ago to make the company a better place to work, highlighting gender equality as a key priority to achieving this.
Since then, the organisation has focused on creating equal opportunity across hiring, pay, leadership and caring responsibilities.
“The reality is, if we hadn’t put intentional strategies in place probably 5 or 6 years ago, especially at our mill, we’d probably almost be looking at 100 per cent men (employees),” human resources executive, Diana Brandt, told NewsCorp.
Key improvements include:
- more women in manufacturing roles — at the company’s South Australian site, female representation has more than doubled, from 9% in 2019 to 21% today
- encouraging men to take primary carer parental leave, helping remove the ‘career penalty’ traditionally carried by women
- removing unnecessary barriers to entry – including in job advertisements, such as eliminating the requirement to hold a forklift licence before hiring – and instead training employees once recruited
- strengthening flexible work and wellbeing policies, supporting employees across life stages.
These changes have delivered cultural shift as well as commercial outcomes.
HR executive Diana Brandt
"You can’t expect a culture to change if you’re only focusing on one gender – you have to focus on what’s good for everyone.”
Innovation in parental support
In 2026, Kimberly‑Clark made headlines for exploring an innovative new way to support working parents: providing free nappies and wipes to employees welcoming a new child.
This idea builds on its existing paid parental leave policy and reflects a broader mindset – looking beyond compliance to meaningful support that improves retention, engagement and productivity.
Their efforts, as a WGEA Workplace Gender Equality Citation holder, have been featured in news coverage by the Australian Financial Review (11 March 2026, [paywall]) and by NewsCorp Newswire (3 March 2026).
A lesson for leaders
Kimberly‑Clark’s story shows what’s possible when leaders treat gender equality like any other strategic priority and backed with data, targets and accountability.
Ready to lead change in your organisation?
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