Gender Pay Gap in Australia:

We all want the world to be fair for both men and women,
equal voting rights, freedom of speech, equal education
and equal pay. Unfortunately, this is not the case for equal
pay, most alarmingly in Australia. Many women are
discriminated against in the workplace, creating a gender
pay gap that should not exist. Today I will be examining
the gender pay gap and the causes behind it, including
differing perspectives on the issue.
So what is a gender pay gap? According to the
Australian government Workplace Gender Equality
Agency it is; the difference between the average of all
male and female earnings expressed as a percentage of
male earnings. Let me just write that down for you. So
seeing that at the moment, the gender pay gap is 18%
and this means that men are earning 18% more money
than women. This means that if a man and a woman start
work at the same time do the exact same job, and retire
at the exact same time, the man will earn, on average $1
million more than the woman.
In the past 15-20 years, the gender pay gap has remained
generally neutral, with very minor fluctuations around the
18% mark. This can be seen as either good or bad. The
good being it hasnt increased which means it is
manageable, or the bad being it hasnt changed and
Australia isnt paying enough attention and putting
enough effort towards it. In 1994 the gender pay gap was
much smaller with figures being at 15.9% before its
increase to 18% and the lowest it has been was in
November 2004 with it reaching 14.9%.
So why is there a gender pay gap? There are many
reasons why people believe that there is a gender pay
gap with some including segregation, representation of
women, unsupportive working arrangements, and gender
discrimination.
Australia has a sex-segregated labour market. This means
that women and men can be clustered into separate
occupations and industries. This is also known as industrial
segregation. Womens participation in the workplace is
steadily increasing however women tend to work in
different industries to men.
Some people say that the reason behind the gender pay
gap is because women choose not to work in jobs that
have higher salaries. For some women this is the case
however not for all women.

According to the Australian council of trade unions,

Women are now more likely to get a tertiary degree than
men although female graduates are receiving $1000 less
than male graduates. This shows the eagerness of women
to finish their schooling and get a job but the pay
discrimination that comes with it. Some women choose to
not work in occupations with higher pay due to
unsupportive working arrangements.
There is a deficiency of permanent part time jobs or full
time jobs with flexible working arrangements and this
makes it extremely hard for women to get a high income.
Many women in the workforce have a family, which
means that these women have to juggle work and caring
for children. With inflexible working arrangements, women
are not able to participate as much in the workforce due
to the limited jobs available that do provide bendable
working hours and therefore can considerably affect a
womans earning potential as well as the capability to
amass superannuation and retirement savings.
Many women feel they have to choose to either continue
on with their career or choosing either part time or casual
work due to family caring responsibilities. Which means
fewer opportunities for career development and training.
Gender discrimination is a massive issue in the Australian
workplace today. It is estimated that around 60% of the
GPG is due to either direct discrimination or other factors
to do with being female, such as indirect gender
discrimination. This meaning making assumptions about
what occupations are appropriate for women. Employers
may also accidentally make these assumptions
inadvertently and therefore this can affect a womans
application and their growth in their role.
Conversely, some people believe that the Gender Pay
Gap is simply due to the choices made by men and
women about their own occupations. Suggestions are that
women do not want to work in extremely demanding
positions because it does not interest them as they are
more suited for male roles, and this is the same situation
that males are put in for generally womens jobs. Many
men are more likely wanting to work in jobs that are more
dangerous such as construction laborers, and due to the
fact that these jobs are more dangerous, they pay better
than female dominated jobs.
They are also more likely to work in less desirable locations
which are uncomfortable and isolated and obviously

people in these jobs receive higher income. Even if a male

and female choose the same career path, chances are
that men are more likely to choose jobs that come with
high-stress levels. For example, in medicine a woman may
choose to do pediatrics however a male is more likely to
study to be a surgeon, which is a higher paying job. Some
people also suggest that women are less likely to discuss
their salary with their boss, and push for more money.
In conclusion, the Gender Pay Gap is something that is
extremely prevalent in todays society in Australia.
Whether it is biased towards women, or if it is just a sham, I
think a majority of people believe it is something to keep
an eye on, and monitor closely, to make sure this
difference remains neutral.