Recent data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has found that the gender pay disparity continues to persist in Australia, with women, on average, earning 17.4 per cent less than their male counterparts.

 

The pay gap has remained almost unchained for two decades, with Western Australia having the dubious honour of possessing the largest inequality in pay of 25.8 per cent.

 

The average weekly earnings of full-time women in the workforce is $1,186.90 per week, $250.50 per week less than their male counterparts who were recorded an average wage of $1,437.40 per week. Over the course of a year, this discrepancy adds up to an average $13,036 per year.

 

"The lack of progress in closing the gender pay gap means the case for concerted action on pay equity is clear. It is intolerable to think that the career and financial prospects of a girl born today will be less than those of a boy,” Director of the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) Helen Conway said.

 

"When we consider the impact of the gender pay gap on women's superannuation, it is little wonder that women are two and a half times more likely to live in poverty in their old age than men."

 

Ms Conway said the disparity is a powerful disincentive for women in the workforce, and that if it persists; the Australian economy will be deprived of valuable skill sets. Ms Conway urged industries to rectify the issue to ensure productivity levels remain high and the skills shortage is offset.

 

"Organisations can start by doing a payroll analysis to determine if they have a gender pay gap. They can ask themselves whether working flexibly in their organisation limits a person's career. They can also examine whether their workplaces contain stereotypes and embedded bias in job design, evaluation and remuneration processes," Ms Conway said.

 

The full set of statistics can be found here