The Universities Australia Women’s research program for 2021-2022 has a specific focus on inclusive practices and work/life balance for women in Australia’s university sector. The purpose of this literature review is to provide the evidence base for the current state of gender inclusivity and work/life balance and to offer examples of national and international leading practice of DEI in universities and other knowledge-based industries, which have innovative solutions to many of the challenges faced by women in the workforce that can be transferred into the university sector.

While the remit and focus of this project is ‘women’, the authors acknowledge that there are additional and compounding challenges experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, LGBTIQ+ individuals, people with disability, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, that may intersect with the drivers of gender inequality outlined in this literature review.