For a woman working in Australia to earn the same average wage as a man, she would have to put in an extra 50 days on the job every year, according to the government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency.
That’s why this year, today, August 19, is Equal Pay Day – 50 days into the new financial year.
To mark the occasion, the WGEA has launched an online calculator for people at individual workplaces to figure out their own Equal Pay Day – that is, how large the gender pay gap is where they work.
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WGEA chief executive Mary Wooldridge said this year’s Equal Pay Day campaign aims to draw attention to the gender pay gap at individual workplaces and to generate meaningful conversation about the actions to address it.
“Equal Pay Day is an important day to start a conversation about the gender pay gap at your workplace and the plans to reduce it,” Wooldridge said.
“Employees can now find out what your employer is doing to address the issues that drive your workplace’s gender pay gap, why it exists and what can be done about it.
“For workplace leaders, Equal Pay Day is a chance to consult with your employees, let them know you are serious and discuss how to take meaningful action on gender equality.”
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Wooldridge encouraged workers to use the calculator and to dig into their employer’s results on the WGEA Data Explorer.
WGEA results showed more than eight in 10 Australian employers (84.7 per cent) still have gender pay gaps outside the target range of 5 per cent.
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“Every industry in Australia, including those that are women-dominated or that are gender-balanced, has a gender pay gap in favour of men,” Wooldridge said.
“Recent legislative changes, including publishing individual employer gender pay gaps and to require large employers to select Gender Equality Targets, aim to motivate employers to understand their gender pay gap and take meaningful action to address it.”
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