For the past decade, earning more has been the top factor driving ambitious women in Australia.
The global pandemic, volatile economic conditions and an increasingly unpredictable political landscape has done little to buck this trend.
In the 2025 Women’s Ambition Report supported by AGSM @ UNSW Business School, we surveyed 1400 women from a broad range of industries including professional services, government, finance, healthcare, social assistance, education, mining, construction and the not-for-profit space.
When compared to our previous reports in recent years, this year’s research reveals that while the leading ambitions for women are mostly the same, there have been significant shifts in how people are working, the need to upskill and the prevalence of burnout.
It comes in a time when US President Donald Trump is driving his nation and long-term allies into new territory, all while global markets still recover after the pandemic.
Major investment firm Goldman Sachs says the odds of a recession in the US are increasing.
The rapid evolution of AI and digitisation continue to disrupt how people work.
In 2025, women around Australia are not only battling their own unique barriers but they’re operating in a space of increasing economic uncertainty, growing cost-of-living pressures and unaffordable housing.
All of these factors appear to have contributed to a drop in the number of women wanting to change careers or potentially ruffle feathers by asking for promotion.
Additionally, self-confidence and burnout remain a hindrance for women working towards their ambitions.
In 2023, just over 40 per cent of survey respondents said these two factors would be one of their biggest hurdles in the next two years.
In 2025, 38 per cent of survey respondents listed burnout as their biggest concern in the coming two years.
This year’s report reveals that for the nearly two in five respondents struggling with burnout, the balance between work and home obligations is a difficult one to get right with many women carrying the burden of family, house chores and caring responsibilities.
The cost-of-living was listed as a key cause of burnout for more than one in three participants.
In line with burnout, age discrimination is becoming a growing concern.
Our survey found that age discrimination is a bigger hurdle than gender discrimination for women, with close to two in five reporting it as a key issue compared to 27 per cent for the latter.
Despite these challenges, the growing acceptance of flexibility, hybrid working and family-friendly policies have seen an increasing number of women finding a way to achieve success.
Less than half of the women we surveyed this year work full-time – this figure has dropped by 7 per cent in less than a decade with more women opting for flexibility, some even choosing part-time work so they can build their own businesses.
Despite recent pushback by some large corporations and politicians to force people back in the office, the demand for flexibility and change in how we work has been brewing for well over a decade.
The Ambition Report over recent years detected this trend early on with half of our survey respondents, back in 2017, saying flexible work options were very important for their careers.
Over the next two years, digital disruption through AI, political change and economic shifts will continue to have an impact on how women work and advance their careers – all while they juggle family, children, finances and other caring responsibilities.
Despite time and balance being a key concern, there is a strong appetite among the women we surveyed to upskill.
In the next two years, skills like empathy and communication will be increasingly crucial as people navigate complex challenges and customer relationships in a world where AI continues to transform how we work, communicate and do business.
In uncertain economic and political conditions, the women we have surveyed over the years demonstrate a deep-held resilience, tenacity and adaptability to keep striving for their goals no matter what challenges they face.
What they have achieved despite the systemic and structural barriers around them is a testament to their strength and powerful ambitions.
But policymakers and employers can make a powerful difference over the next two years.
Our 2025 Ambition Report highlights several key areas for this to happen.