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This Sunday (8 March), people across the globe will celebrate the achievements of women and help raise awareness of gender-based discrimination as part of International Women’s Day (IWD).
While IWD has been celebrated for well over a century (with the first taking place in 1911), this year’s theme for IWD highlights the need for a system that is fair, inclusive, and accessible to all women and girls, under the theme ‘Give to Gain’ – asking businesses to think about what they are giving in order to help gain gender equality.
To celebrate IWD, Broker Daily asked leading female brokers across the country why mortgage and finance broking is a fantastic career for women and what could be done to encourage more women into broking, given they are still a minority.
Indeed, according to the MFAA’s latest Industry Intelligence Service (IIS) report, around 26.8 per cent of brokers are women – a figure that has been relatively unchanged since 2018, despite several initiatives to tackle the under-representation of women in the broking industry and wider finance sector.
Similarly, the Finance Brokers Association of Australasia’s (FBAA) recently released Broker Density Report 2025, compiled by research house CoreData, found that around 30 per cent of Australian mortgage brokers were female or around 6,499 women. While this is an increase on previous years (the split was 72/28 male to female in 2024), the association has said that more could be done to profile the work of female brokers.
A ‘blessing’ for family and flexibility
For many female brokers, the transition into broking is driven by a desire to escape the rigid constraints of traditional corporate structures and lead a more flexible professional life on their own terms.
Steph Thomas of Loan Market Ignite recently described her move into the industry as “the best decision I’ve ever made”.
Speaking on the Elite Broker podcast, Thomas conceded that while she was nervous about becoming a broker (because she “got to watch and help and support so many impressive businesses and just didn’t ever think that she would be as good as those already in market”), she added: “But I think it’s been the best blessing for my family as a whole and the biggest driver. I would do it again tomorrow for them.
“Being in corporate finance, it is very structured, whereas with mortgage broking, it truly is that it’s your own business… it is a lot more flexible. And you’re proud of it, so you want to invest everything into it.”
She noted that the career allows her to integrate her children into her professional life rather than keeping them separate: “I’ve just been able to spend time with them over the school holiday period, where I wouldn’t have been able to do that before without taking annual leave.”
Katrina Rowlands, broker principal at Mortgage Success, echoed this sentiment and noted in a recent podcast that the appeal of the profession lay in the ability to “speed it up, slow it down, move sideways, but take a greater control of my own best outcome”.
She said that being a broker in her own business also meant that she was able to work around her family commitments more flexibly.
“Children just became part of the work life. I didn’t have a life and then work, I had a life that included work and work that included my life. So mine fully merged and by doing that I was able to cope quite beautifully, I think,” she said and noted that her daughter now works with her in her business.
Katie Norbury of Queensland-based brokerage Settle In agreed that the flexibility of being a small-business owner was a core attraction and told Broker Daily: “Being self‑employed gives me the freedom to build a business that feels genuinely authentic to me.”
Similarly, Kimberly Linder of NSW-based XCEL Finance said: “I value the independence broking has given me and the opportunity to build something meaningful for my family and my future. Growing the business while raising a large family taught me a huge amount about mindset, organisation and determination – qualities that continue to guide my work today.
“I love being able to share financial confidence with clients and help them strengthen their financial literacy around borrowing and building wealth, because empowering people with that knowledge gives this career a real sense of purpose. And one of the things I’m most proud of is showing my children what’s possible when you stay committed to your goals.”
The power of lived experience
Beyond personal flexibility, some brokers believe that being a woman in broking gives them a competitive edge, as it allows them to leverage empathy and diverse perspectives to improve client outcomes.
Norbury said she believes the industry thrives when it acknowledges the unique value women bring to the table.
“Many clients want to work with someone who truly understands their lived experience, and fresh perspectives – whether gender, cultural or LGBTQIA+ – to make the home‑loan process feel more accessible and human,” she told Broker Daily.
“As a residential broker, I see how feeling genuinely understood can be the difference between someone pursuing home ownership or feeling like the system isn’t built for them… I love being able to meet people where they are and make the home‑loan process feel human and easy to understand.”
Redefining the ‘broker look’
Despite the benefits, the journey isn’t without its hurdles. Linder of XCEL Finance, who entered the industry 18 years ago from a non-finance background, highlighted the importance of persistence in a male-dominated field.
“Broking can be a strong and fulfilling industry for women, even though many still enter it from non‑traditional backgrounds and face lingering assumptions about who ‘looks’ like a broker,” she explained.
“When I started 18 years ago as a stay‑at‑home mum and aerobics instructor with no banking experience, I was often the only woman in the room and regularly had my credibility questioned.
“While women still make up only around 27 per cent of brokers – which is far too low – the increasing number of women stepping into leadership roles is slowly reshaping expectations and opening the door for more diverse career paths.”
Building a community of support
The broking industry is also evolving to provide better peer-to-peer support for women who are building broking careers. The broker associations, aggregators, and lenders nearly all have programs that support women in broking, with others having taken the initiative to start their own groups.
Rowlands highlighted Australian Finance Group’s Women on the Move program, which serves as a platform for empowering and inspiring a community rather than just teaching technical skills.
“It’s always been about letting you be the best you can be and help you define your own level of success and move at your own pace. It’s there to celebrate every time an achievement is made,” she said.
However, Rowlands also said she valued the group’s ability to provide empathy and support from peers.
“It’s about always having someone else there that understands and will identify with what you’re going through, and give you the support to get through it rather than leave the industry,” she said.
Similarly, Norbury pointed to grassroots support networks like Broker Gals Across Aus, an Instagram group chat where young female brokers “share advice, challenges, and day-to-day support”.
Looking forward: A call for visibility
To continue the momentum, the female brokers agreed that intentional championing is required to better support women in broking.
Norbury said: “We need greater visibility for women – from diverse speaker line‑ups to celebrating women’s awards. Mentorship and peer support are also crucial… Training and leadership pathways should also recognise that women often communicate and sell differently.
“Ultimately, the industry needs to champion women more loudly and more consistently.”
Linder concluded: “The industry can support women more by challenging outdated assumptions about who a broker ‘should’ be and increasing the visibility of women in senior and frontline roles. We’re starting to see more women appointed to state management and leadership positions, and that representation genuinely shifts perceptions for the next generation.
“Media and marketing bodies – including aggregators, lenders and associations – play a key role by spotlighting more women’s stories so the career feels accessible, not exclusive.
“Creating pathways that recognise the diverse backgrounds women come from, and the different ways they build successful careers, will help amplify their impact even further.”
Want to connect with some of the leading women in finance face-to-face? Make sure you attend the Women in Finance Network Lunch 2026 and gain fresh leadership perspectives from keynote speaker Lucy Bloom, while building meaningful connections with forward-thinking peers in the financial sector.
The Women in Finance Network Lunch, run with the support of principal partner Renown Lending, will take place on Friday, 1 May 2026, at Doltone House, Jones Bay Wharf in Sydney. You can book your ticket for the lunch here.
[Related: Women in Finance Awards winners 2025 revealed!]