'It doesn't add up' campaign also launched ahead of Equal Pay Day
The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has declared August 19 as this year's Equal Pay Day.
The date marks the 50 additional days into the new financial year that Australian women must work so they can earn the same average pay men earned in the previous year.
Currently, Australia's gender pay gap stands at 12%. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that the full-time adult average weekly ordinary time earnings was $1,982.80 for men and $1,744.80 for women.
"A national gender pay gap of 12% means that women are paid 12 cents less, on average, for every $1 a man makes – it doesn't add up or align with the Australian values of equality and a 'fair go' for all," WGEA CEO Mary Wooldridge said in a statement.
According to WGEA, the factors contributing to the gender pay gap in Australia include:
- Gender discrimination (36%)
- Care, family responsibilities and workforce participation (33%)
- Gender segregation by job type and industry (24%)
Closing the gender pay gap
To close the pay gap, Wooldridge said employers should first carry out a gender pay gap analysis to understand which areas are fuelling the inequalities at work.
"In doing this analysis, employers need to look further than finding and correcting instances of unequal pay to also investigating areas of gender imbalance," the WGEA CEO said. "When they find these imbalances, such as men dominating manager roles, they should ask what policies or practices are contributing to them."
After identifying the areas of concern, Wooldridge said employers can develop and execute an action plan to address the factors behind the pay gap.
'It doesn't add up' campaign
Meanwhile, WGEA has also launched a new Equal Pay Day campaign ahead of August 19.
The theme of the campaign is "It's Doesn't Add Up," which the agency said is a call to action for employers to contribute to improving workplace gender equality by investigating and understanding the environment in their own workplace.
The campaign will run for 50 days until Equal Pay Day on August 19, according to WGEA.
"Equal Pay Day is a call to action," Wooldridge said. "All employers can identify opportunities for improvement and have an action plan that supports greater gender equality in their workplace."
