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The brokerage group today (5 June) launched a new campaign to help increase the number of women in the mortgage broking industry.
The REA Group brokerage brand Mortgage Choice has launched a focused campaign to recruit more women into broking.
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The campaign, which went live on social media today (5 June), aims to “change the stats”, noting that the proportion of female brokers is at the lowest level on record.
According to statistics from the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) Industry Intelligence Service, just 25.4 per cent of brokers were women (as at September 2022), the lowest proportion recorded since tracking of this figure began.
Indeed, the proportion of female brokers in industry has been falling steadily over the years despite the number of female recruits increasing.
For example, the MFAA has found that there were 3,358 female brokers in the industry in September 2022 — 49 more than there were in March 2022 and 109 more than there were in September 2021.
Despite this, the proportion of female brokers in the industry has seen a decrease of 0.2 percentage points year on year, at 25.4 per cent, the lowest proportion observed.
As part of its commitment to “support and promote female talent”, Mortgage Choice is now promoting the benefits of broking in a new campaign.
In it, the brokerage group highlights key attractions of becoming a broker.
“Mortgage broking enables you to be your own boss, have control over your earning potential, and enjoy the flexibility to structure your business in the way that best suits you. It’s work that works around you,” the campaign read.
“Prior experience in broking isn’t essential — we’ll provide the support you need to build your knowledge and skills as you grow your business.”
The campaign also amplifies case studies of some of the female brokers within its network.
One of the women profiled is Kelly Carter, Mortgage Choice franchise owner (and the winner of the New Broker of the Year award for NSW/ACT at The Adviser’s Better Business Awards 2023, run in partnership with NAB).
Ms Carter commented: “Women juggle so many things all at once. As a broker, I have more control over my time because I’m not restricted to the standard 8am – 5pm work life. If my kids need me in the middle of the day, I can do it. If I feel I need an hour of time out for myself, I can do that, too.
“Broking isn’t just about giving a client a home loan, it’s about educating, protecting and guiding them, which I think women do well. It can be an extremely rewarding career and I love being part of someone’s life journey.”
Mortgage Choice is also promoting the support it provides female brokers in its own network, via its Aspire program, a talent nurturing program set up in 2020 that helps support female brokers in the Mortgage Choice network build successful careers through professional development opportunities, education, and events.
“We’re proud to have a long list of talented and successful women in the Mortgage Choice network,” Mortgage Choice's executive manager, corporate communications, events, and franchise marketing, Sally Chadwick, said.
“These brokers combine their exceptional business acumen with a deep understanding of clients’ needs to build strong businesses that help more Australians achieve their dreams of property ownership.”
Mortgage Choice also recently sponsored a workshop at the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia’s 2023 conference.
The workshop, ‘Women, Broking and the economy’ included a panel discussion with Eleanor Creagh from the PropTrack team and two Mortgage Choice brokers and franchise owners, Jen Hughes from Merimbula NSW and Fiona Manley from Christies Beach, South Australia.
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