Equal Pay Day 2023

25 August 2023

Equal Pay Day is today - 25 August 2023.

In 1969 Australian women earnt the right to equal pay for equal work. But something is still missing.

On average, women in Australian earn less than men. This is called the gender pay gap.

Equal Pay Day marks the 56 days into the new financial year that Australian women must work to earn the same, on average, as men did last year.

How is Equal Pay Day calculated?

WGEA uses the Australian Bureau of Statistics average weekly earnings data to calculate the number of days after the end of financial year that women have to work to be paid the same as the average man. This is called Equal Pay Day.

The February 2023 average weekly pay for men working full time was $1,907.10. Women earnt $1,653.60 per week on average. That’s a difference of $253 every week and $13,183 every year.

At the average rate of pay for women, this is the equivalent of eight weeks additional paid work (56 days).

It’s important to note these figures are base salary only. They do not include bonuses, superannuation or overtime – which men are more likely to earn – or the salaries of Australians working part-time.

What's missing matters

For some people, the gender pay gap is hard to understand or does not seem relevant to their everyday lives.

But for women in Australia, the gender pay gap matters. The dollars and cents represent the value placed on their skills, labour and time. It represents missing money that could be spent to meet everyday costs of living.

The gender pay gap costs the Australian economy $51.8bn every year.

In 2023 WGEA is asking employers to take action to reduce their gender pay gap and demonstrate that what's missing matters.

Car with no wheels text reads. What's missing matters. And yet on average women still earn 13.3% less than men in Australia

What is your state's Equal Pay Day?

Using the ABS data, WGEA has calculated Equal Pay Day for every state in Australia.

Equal Pay Day is:

25 July in Tasmania
2 August in South Australia
9 August in the ACT
16 August in New South Wales
28 August in Victoria
31 August in the Northern Territory
3 September in Queensland
13 October in Western Australia

What is your industry's Equal Pay Day?

Using the ABS data, WGEA has calculated Equal Pay Day for every industry in Australia.

Equal Pay Day is:

14 July for Other Services
24 July for Public Administration and Safety
3 August for Accommodation and Food Services
4 August for Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services
10 August for Education and Training
16 August for Manufacturing
17 August for Arts and Recreation Services
18 August for Retail Trade
18 August for Transport, Postal and Warehousing
3 September for Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services
5 September for Wholesale Trade
9 September for Construction
13 September for Information, Media and Telecommunications
21 September for Administration and Support Services
25 September for Financial and Insurance Services
6 October for Healthcare and Social Assistances
7 October for Professional, Scientific and Technical Services

Join our what’s missing matters social media campaign

Share our what's missing matters images on your channels!

Make sure you use the hashtags #whatsmissingmatters #equalpayday #closethegenderpaygap

Man looking at empty supermarket shelves. Text reads: What's missing matters. And yet, on average women earn 13.3% less than men in Australia

Or repost our content from the last 8 weeks!

TWITTER: @WGEAgency

INSTAGRAM: @wgeagency

LINKEDIN: Workplace Gender Equality Agency

Social media graphics

You can use and share the images below to join our campaign.

LinkedIn images

Man looking at empty supermarket shelves. Text reads: What's missing matters and yet, on average women are paid 13.3% less than men

What's missing matters Linkedin car Equal Pay Day

What's missing matters Linkedin Hollywood Equal Pay Day

Twitter images

Car with no wheels. Text reads: What's missing matters and yet, on average women are paid 13.3% less than men

Man looks at empty supermarket shelves. Text reads: What's missing matters and yet, on average women are paid 13.3% less than men

Hollywood sign without the D. Text reads: What's missing matters and yet, on average women are paid 13.3% less than men

Instagram images

Car with no wheels. Text reads: What's missing matters and yet, on average women are paid 13.3% less than men

Hollywood Sign no D. Text reads: What's missing matters and yet, on average women are paid 13.3% less than men

Man looking at empty supermarket shelves. Text reads: What's missing matters and yet, on average women are paid 13.3% less than men

Lean more about the gender pay gap

We know the gender pay gap can be confusing. This page explains what it is, and what it is not.

Need the mathematical details? This page explains the gender pay gap calculation and why you sometimes see different numbers.

In 2024, WGEA will publish employer gender pay gaps. Find out what you can do to close the gap in your business.