Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) and First Nations women are among the most ambitious people in Australia, but recent survey data reveals a broad workplace culture that struggles to see, support and sponsor these women into leadership.
According to the findings from Women’s Agenda’s 2026 Workplace Visibility Survey, conducted in partnership with Cultivate Sponsorship, more than half (55 per cent) of women from CALD backgrounds say they hope to be promoted within the next three years.
And many have mapped out their path: 41 per cent hold a two-to-five year career plan, and a further 20 per cent have a 12-month plan. However, there’s a clear gap between this ambition and women feeling supported to achieve their goals in the workplace.
The data tells us:
- 55 per cent of CALD women hope for a promotion in the next three years
- 61 per cent have some form of career plan in place
- 43 per cent say they have clarity on their next career options
- 24 per cent say their employer offers adequate mentorship or sponsorship for women
The visibility gap
Sixty percent of the CALD women survey say they talk openly about their career goals with friends outside of work. But only 26 per cent raise those ambitions with their immediate manager, and just 19 per cent with peers and colleagues.
This finding sharply contrasts with our previous survey, where we didn’t ask women to specify their background. In that cohort, 48 per cent of women had raised their ambitions with an immediate manager, and 37 per cent with their peers or colleagues. It means CALD women are nearly half as likely to speak up at work as women in the broader sample, pointing to a widespread workplace culture where CALD women may feel less safe speaking up about their ambitions at work.
When asked what stops them from voicing their ambitions, many respondents in this year’s survey described workplace cultures where speaking up about career goals feels risky rather than rewarded. For CALD and First Nations women, this reluctance is compounded by factors such as mental health challenges, low levels of trust and fears of being judged, overlooked or dismissed.
The result is a visibility gap, with many ambitious women choosing to keep their aspirations hidden from the senior people who influence promotion and leadership opportunities.
“I can’t mention it openly at work due to the toxic environment,” one respondent said about voicing their ambitions, while another mentioned concerns around “not being taken seriously” in the workplace.
“Modesty, not wanting to sound ‘up myself’, superstition — if I utter my ambitions publicly, they won’t happen,” another reasoned.
Some respondents spoke about barriers like mental health, caring responsibilities, imposter syndrome and exhaustion getting in the way too.
“Mental health, caring and parental responsibilities, imposter syndrome, utter exhaustion and questioning if I’m right for the role,” one woman said.
For one First Nations woman, feeling culturally misunderstood in the workplace came through as a top reason.
“People don’t understand me as an Indigenous woman — my worldviews, my concept of leadership from an Indigenous lens, plus stereotypes of Indigenous peoples,” they said.
Barriers to the next career step
When asked what was most likely to stand in the way of a promotion, 40 per cent of CALD women said they lacked clear options as to how to move forward, with 33 per cent saying there was a lack of visibility on pathways.
As one woman from a diverse background noted, a lack of local industry experience can present as a barrier when trying to access a new job or promotion.
“Having experienced a major economic crisis in Europe has made me hardworking, resilient, given me a multicultural and open mindset… It is a pity this is seen as ‘your CV looks great but you lack local Australian experience’,” the respondent said.
In the survey, discrimination among CALD women was prominently cited as a promotion barrier (around 25 per cent), and the burden of caring responsibilities was more pronounced (27 per cent) for these women.
Meanwhile, just 24 per cent of respondents believed their current or most recent employer offers adequate mentorship or sponsorship for women. And 31 per cent report that their employer has actually pulled back on initiatives supporting women in the workplace in the past year.
The strengths that go unrecognised
One of the clearest findings from the survey is the depth of talent, expertise and leadership capability that CALD and First Nations women bring to their workplaces. Respondents described a range of hard-won skills forged through navigating different cultures, overcoming barriers and drawing on unique lived experiences. These strengths add significant value to the organisations they work for.
“I bring a unique lived experience from the world’s oldest living civilisation,” one First Nations woman wrote. “I have an exceptional level of Relational Intelligence as a result of the cultural and emotional skills required to navigate systems.”
Another respondent said: “I know what it feels like to be discriminated against and underestimated — so I make sure I help and encourage others who face barriers.”
Adaptability and code-switching was another key strength commonly mentioned among CALD and First Nations women when asked how their cultural background shaped their strengths. For example, one respondent said: “Growing up bilingual taught me how to pivot between one language and another. I grew resilience from being bullied, and developed a higher EQ.”
“I bring new ways of being, doing, and thinking. I understand what it’s like to code-switch, and I probe established processes to see if they’re actually achieving what they’re intended to achieve,” another said.
Another respondent mentioned her attention to detail and drive to succeed, noting both qualities have been shaped by her family and culture. “Having a good work ethic and striving to do one’s best at all times is the cornerstone of our family values,” she said.
“I bring another way to do things because of my Aboriginality and as a mother of children with additional needs. These insights are often overlooked, but every industry would benefit,” another noted.
The theme of invisible labour runs through many responses in the survey, an acknowledgment of the cultural load burden that sits with First Nations women in particular in workplaces. First Nations respondents described a distinct form of leadership value that is often poorly understood or under-recognised in Western workplace settings.
For example, one First Nations respondent described the dual burden of meeting professional expectations while navigating community obligations: “Community obligations and expectations must be balanced with real, imagined and expected extra service my employer holds of me and my role — extra to my non-Aboriginal peers.”
What needs to change
The 2026 Workplace Visibility Survey makes clear that CALD women and First Nations women are ambitious and driven to succeed in workplaces across the country. Yet their progression is often constrained by workplace cultures that fail to recognise their potential, value their contributions or create clear pathways to leadership.
From feeling invisible, to carrying the burden of the cultural load and navigating discrimination, many women continue to face structural barriers that make advancement harder than it should be.
Employers should look at opening up their pathways for sponsorship and creating judgement-free environments where women feel comfortable speaking to their managers and senior colleagues about career progression. Curated sponsorship programs are an evidence-based way to do this and will help start the process of breaking down structural barriers that may be invisible to others.
Pushing back against the rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives is also key to ensuring CALD and First Nations women feel heard and supported in workplaces. Transparent progression pathways and psychological safety should also be top of mind for employers.
The 2026 Workplace Visibility Survey was conducted by Cultivate Sponsorship in April 2026, drawing 372 responses from women across career stages in Australia.