Yesterday marked Equal Pay Day in Australia, highlighting the persistent gender pay gap that continues to impact women’s earnings across the country.
According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), August 19 represents the 50 additional days women must work into the new financial year to earn the same amount, on average, as men did in the previous year.
WGEA CEO Mary Wooldridge emphasised the significance of this disparity, stating: “Australia’s gender pay gap is a limit on women’s lifetime earnings and it just doesn’t add up or align with the Australian values of equality and a ‘fair go’ for all.”
The agency’s data reveals that 62 per cent of employers have a gender pay gap exceeding 5 per cent in favour of men.
This gap persists despite equal pay for equal work being mandated by law since 1969.
To address this issue, the Australian government has implemented new measures.
Federal legislation now requires WGEA to publish individual gender pay gaps for employers with 100 or more employees annually.
The first publication of this data for private-sector employers occurred in February 2024, with public-sector data expected in early 2025.
Wooldridge stressed that simply paying women and men the same for identical work is “the bare minimum,” urging employers to take a more comprehensive approach to workplace gender equality.
WGEA has launched a campaign titled “It Doesn’t Add Up” to educate Australians about the difference between equal pay and the gender pay gap.
The agency offers various resources, including an Action Planning Tool, to help employers address their own gender pay disparities.
It’s important to note that the gender pay gap differs from the concept of equal pay.
While equal pay refers to identical compensation for the same work, the gender pay gap reflects broader disparities in average earnings between men and women across industries and roles.
As Australia continues to grapple with this issue, WGEA calls on all employers to understand the causes of the gender pay gap and take effective action to close it within their organisations.
