Official stats show Australia’s gender pay gap has widened. 

The national gender pay gap is 14.1 per cent – a rise of 0.3 percentage points over the last six months.

On average, women working full-time now earn $1,609.00 per week while men working full-time earn $1,872.90 per week- a full-time average weekly earnings difference between women and men of $263.90 per week.

The national gender pay gap measures the difference between the average weekly full-time base salary earnings of women and men, expressed as a percentage of men’s earnings. 

It is a measure of women’s overall position in the paid workforce and does not compare like roles.

Monday this week marked the 60 extra days after the end of the financial year that Australian women must work, on average, to earn the same annual salary earned by men.

The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) is calling on employers to take urgent action on gender equality by pursuing five steps to close the gender pay gap, including:

  • Conduct a pay gap audit, develop an action plan and establish accountabilities

  • Set targets to promote gender equality at all levels of the organisation

  • Design leadership roles that can be part-time and promote women into leadership positions

  • Normalise flexible working arrangements

  • Introduce a robust gender neutral paid parental leave policy

Australia is selling itself short by disregarding and undermining the skills of half the population. 

WGEA Director Mary Wooldridge says employers that embrace these practices see benefits to employee recruitment and retention, productivity and company profits.

“While the gender pay gap persists, women’s skills, capabilities and potential are not being fully realised or valued,” she said. 

“Further, while women are earning less, they're spending the same as men on the essentials we all need to survive.

“A high inflation rate of 6.1 per cent is greatly increasing the cost of living, making daily essentials like fruit and vegetables, fuel, electricity and rent more and more expensive. The gender pay gap means many women now find it even harder to make ends meet."