The company has recorded a negative gender pay gap of -2% according to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, which is a stark contrast to the industry average of 6.3%.
This means that, on average, women at Little Real Estate earn more than men, a rarity not just in real estate but across most industries.
For Chief Operating Officer Rebecca Kerr, this milestone is the result of intentional leadership decisions, a strong commitment to gender equality, and a workplace culture that supports and empowers women to advance in their careers.
“We’ve made it a priority here at Little Real Estate to focus on promoting women into leadership roles. Last year our gender pay gap was zero and this year we’ve managed to surpass that,” Rebecca said.
One of the key factors in achieving this success is Little Real Estate’s workforce composition – 70% of its employees are women, and 71% of its leadership team reflects that balance.
Rather than forcing quotas, Rebecca explained that the company has fostered an environment where women naturally rise to leadership positions through mentorship, support, and proactive career development opportunities.
“We’ve ensured that the balance and the promotions are reflective of our workforce,” she said. “We promote from within wherever possible, which has obviously contributed to the higher level of women leaders in our business.”
Rebecca highlighted that one of the key challenges in advancing women’s careers is self-perception and confidence.
“We know traditionally that men are more inclined to put their hand up for a promotion than women. We know there’s different reasons for that,” she explained.
“Men are inclined to put their hand up when they think they’re 80% able to do the role, and women put their hand up when they’re confident they can do everything in the position description.”
To bridge this gap, the leadership team proactively identifies potential female leaders and encourages them to consider opportunities for promotion.
“If we have a role coming up, we make sure that we speak to people who we think might be appropriate for the role just to give them the confidence to apply,” she said.
“That doesn’t mean they’ll always get the job, but it gives them the assurance that they can take the next step.”
The role of workplace flexibility
Another major factor in Little Real Estate’s success in gender equality is its strong focus on workplace flexibility, ensuring that employees can perform at their best while balancing personal and family responsibilities.
Rebecca believes that flexibility should be more than just a corporate talking point and leaders need to actively demonstrate it in their own schedules.
“I think it’s important for leaders to not just pay lip service to workplace flexibility but to actually set an example in this,” she said. “Nobody sees me in the office before 9.15am because I drop my kids at school first. I work from home when I need to and I encourage my team to choose the style of work that best fits their lives as well.”
This philosophy is embedded throughout the business: “We know in the roles that people have in our business, if we trust them to do their jobs, we don’t mind what time of the day they do it,” she said.
“People who are mature and good at their roles know what time of the day suits them best. If we trust them to do the job to the best of their ability, we trust them to do it when they know they can do it and give it their best.”
Little Real Estate’s commitment to gender equality and flexibility hasn’t gone unnoticed. The company has seen an increase in highly skilled women reaching out after last year’s results, looking for opportunities where they feel valued, supported, and able to advance in their careers.
“We’ve had some highly skilled women reach out after last year’s result, feeling that they weren’t valued or recognised in their existing business and looking for more career potential here.
While achieving a negative gender pay gap is an impressive milestone, Rebecca is clear that the goal isn’t to widen the gap further, but to maintain a fair and balanced workplace.
“We probably don’t want to make the gap any bigger really,” she said. “I think we’re sort of in the ideal range at the moment because we do want to have a workplace that’s reflective of society.”
Diversity and inclusion remain a core focus for the company, ensuring that its workforce and leadership reflect the diverse experiences of the clients they serve.
“We are here to represent landlords, tenants, and vendors who obviously all come from different walks of life and have different experiences.”
Why women excel in real estate
Rebecca also highlighted some of the unique strengths that women bring to real estate, particularly in areas such as empathy, multitasking, and problem-solving.
“I do think juggling is definitely something they can bring to the table and, at times, empathy,” she said. “They’re often, because they’re juggling multiple things at one time, if a landlord or a tenant has a particular problem, they’re often able to empathise and assist with coming up with a solution.”
