[Un] Equal Pay Day will be 28 August 2019
The national gender pay gap remains stable at 14.0%, a drop of just 0.1pp over the last six months. This year, [Un] Equal Pay Day will be on 28 August 2019, marking the 59 additional days from the end of the previous financial year that women must work, on average, to earn the same amount as men earnt that year.
Using the latest Average Weekly Earnings trend series data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has calculated the national gender pay gap as 14.0% for full-time employees, a difference of $241.50 per week.
Libby Lyons, Director of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, said that she would have liked to see a stronger fall in the gender pay gap.
“Although it is good that the gender pay gap has declined slightly and remains stable, it shows that we still need to have more Australian employers taking action on gender equality and addressing pay equity.
“What Equal Pay Day actually signifies is that every other day of the year is Unequal Pay Day for women. Australian women first won the right to be paid the same as men for doing the same work or work of equal or comparable value in 1969 – that’s 50 years ago!
“Employers have to analyse their data to ensure their employees are paid equitably and lawfully. If they identify any pay gaps, they need to create action plans to eliminate them, measure their progress and hold people accountable for the outcomes,” she said.
Ms Lyons also said that [Un] Equal Day Pay highlighted the barriers Australian women still face in having the same opportunities and rewards in our workplaces as men.
“The gender pay gap matters. Women comprise half of Australia’s workforce. Yet over their working life, they will earn less than men, encounter more obstacles to their career progression than men and accumulate less superannuation and retirement savings than men.
“It matters for today’s girls and boys because when they reach adulthood, they deserve to be valued equally for their work. It matters to everyone because we all deserve to experience workplaces where there is no place for discrimination, bias or inequality based on gender,” she said.
About the national gender pay gap
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.
The gender pay gap is not the difference between two people being paid differently for work of equal or comparable value. This is unequal pay and it is unlawful.
Key facts
- The national gender pay gap is 14.0%. It has declined from 14.1% in the past 6 months.
- On average, women working full-time earned $1484.80 while men working full-time earned $1726.30.
- Full-time average weekly earnings difference between women and men is $241.50.
