Gender Pay Gap

Picture this: two students graduate with the same degree, find entry-level positions in the same field and negotiate their starting salaries. The only difference is their gender.

Mother’s Day is a day of celebration for families across Australia. It is also an opportunity for us to consider what motherhood means in contemporary society. Many mothers want to pursue careers alongside raising their children and they should not be penalised for doing so.

The new national gender pay gap for the six months to May 2020 is 14.0%. This year, Equal Pay Day will be on 28 August 2020, marking the 59 additional days from the end of the previous financial year that women, on average, must work to earn the same as men earnt that year.

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) announced today that the national gender pay gap has remained stable at 13.9%, a drop of just 0.1 percentage points over the last six months.

More employers than ever recognise the importance of looking at their own data when seeking to improve gender equality within their four walls. Workplace Gender Equality Agency (‘WGEA’) data showed that in 2018, 40% of organisations conducted a gender pay gap analysis.

To mark this year’s [Un]Equal Pay Day on 28 August 2019, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has calculated the date of each Australian state and territory’s [Un]Equal Pay Day.

Each year, many different countries across the globe mark their own versions of Equal Pay Day in the calendar year and put their own spin on how to highlight the gender pay gap.

In 2019, [Un] Equal Pay Day falls on Wednesday 28 August, marking the additional 59 day’s women have to work from the end of the last financial year to earn the same amount as men. [Un]Equal Pay Day is a symbolic indicator of the significance of the national gender pay gap and why it matters for Australian women.

The gender pay gap – while it looks like just a number on a page, it means so much more in reality. Ahead of Equal Pay Day this Wednesday 28 August 2019, it is important that we take a step back and really look at what the gender pay gap means for you, your family, your workplace and Australia.

Last month, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (‘the Agency’) published a quiz testing the public’s knowledge on the gender pay gap. Since its release, the Agency has received over 500 responses. The average score was 71% - 9.2 out of 13. Around one in five respondents scored within 90%-100%.