The gender pay gap

What is equal pay?

Equal pay is the difference in earnings between women workers and their male counterparts in the same work role.

It follows the idea that if you are doing the same job, you should be paid the same wage. In Australia, equal pay is a legal requirement.

What is the gender pay gap?

The gender pay gap is broader in scope than equal pay: it looks at the gendered difference of earnings across organisations, industries and the entire workforce. 

Women ending up with less pay than men on average doesn’t just happen simply when a man doing the same job is paid at a higher rate. There are other structural factors at play such as employers offering women less promotion opportunities and less women in managerial positions.  

The lack of women represented in management roles isn’t particular to male-dominated industries. Even in Australia’s two female-dominated industries – Healthcare & Social Assistance and Education & Training – the gender pay gaps for both are larger than the national average.

What is the gender pay gap in Australia?

The gender pay gap in Australia is 11.5% as of August 2024.

This is a record low, down from 14.1 per cent when the Albanese Government came to power. The gap is now closing at an annual rate of 1.3 per cent, more than three time faster than the far slower annual rate of 0.4 per cent on average achieved under the previous Coalition Government.

Already a union member?

Reach out to your union for more specific information about how you and your workmates can improve gender equality in your workplace. 

Not yet a member of your union?

Joining your union is the best thing you can do to ensure you’re getting the new pay that you deserve. The gender pay gap is lower for union members.