Australian workplaces have a "staggering" perception gap in gender equality, with male and female workers disagreeing on levels of representation in senior roles.
A study of 2000 white-collar workers across Australia and New Zealand found nearly 60 per cent of men believed women were not under-represented in leadership.
However, only two per cent of women agreed with this.
The findings were published by recruitment specialist Robert Walters, which surveyed how gender influences a workplace experience, leadership pathways and organisational culture.
The disconnect between male and female employees can be explained by a phenomenon called perceptual saturation, Robert Walters senior director Jane Lowney explained.
"Once a minority group of any type hits 30 per cent visibility, the perception becomes that they are now the dominant group even though that's not the case," Ms Lowney told AAP.
"But for many people, perception is reality."
While over half of male respondents believed their organisation had equal representation of strong female leaders, only 31 per cent of women agreed.
Nearly 30 per cent of women said their workplace was led predominantly by men, more than double the percentage of men (13 per cent).
A majority of women said bias and opportunity gaps were to blame for a lack of gender equality, which only 28 per cent of men agreed with.
"Even when you look at traditionally female dominated industries there is still an over-representation of men in the leadership roles," Ms Lowney said.
Men make up nearly 70 per cent of executive and chief executive roles across Australia and New Zealand.
But organisations with gender-diverse executive teams were almost 40 per cent more likely to outperform those without diversity, a 2023 McKinsey report showed.
The report also found leadership diversity was associated with growth ambitions, greater social impact and more satisfied workforces.
But almost half of the male respondents to the Robert Walters study said merit should matter more than equal representation in leadership.
"If we want to build truly merit-based workplaces, then we have to be honest about the fact that not everyone starts from the same position," Robert Walters Australia and New Zealand chief executive Shay Peters said.
"We can't afford to mistake minimal progress for meaningful change - it's time to drive real, measurable action that truly moves the dial."
Meaningful change in workplaces included providing structured mentorship and sponsorship programs to support women's advancement, addressing unconscious bias and increasing transparency around promotion criteria.
"The people in the workplace who are most problematic are the ones that do not acknowledge that there is an issue," Ms Lowney said.
"Equality is a continual conversation and something that needs repeated reinforcing."
