WGEA marks Equal Pay Day

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has declared August 19 to be Equal Pay Day, marking the 50 days into the new financial year that Australian women must work to earn the same, on average, as men did last year. 

For every $1 a man makes in Australia, women earn just 88 cents. The difference adds up to $12,376 a year on average. According to the WGEA, that differential “doesn’t add up or align with the Australian values of equality and a ‘fair go’ for all”.

Understanding the gender pay gap

As HVAC&R News reported in March, the gender pay gap has been increasing in trade-related industries, such as manufacturing and construction.

This might seem counterintuitive, as Australia has had equal pay laws in place since 1969. These laws mean that employers must pay their workers the same amount for doing the same job. However, it’s only one step on the path towards income equality.

The gender pay gap isn’t about discrimination between people in the same job; it’s a reflection of women working lower-paid jobs and being less likely to get promoted than their male counterparts.

The WGEA’s research with KPMG has found three leading causes for this:

• Gender discrimination (36 per cent)
• Care, family responsibilities and workforce participation (33 per cent)
• Gender segregation by job type and industry (24 per cent).

Taking action

The WGEA makes three recommendations for employers looking to address the gender pay gap in their own workplaces:

• Conduct an in-house gender pay gap analysis
• Use the WGEA’s action planning tool to generate a list of tailored advice
• Take part in a gender equality capacity-building masterclass.