smh.com.au

Australian Gender Pay Gap: Women Effectively Work for Free for Almost Half the Year

In Australia, women effectively work for free from November 18th, 2024, due to a gender pay gap of 21.8% (WGEA data) that results in women earning $28,425 less annually than men on average.

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English

Australia

Workplace Gender Equality Agency (Wgea)Australian Council Of Trade UnionsAustralian Bureau Of StatisticsMorgan StanleyE61Lorna JanePandora

Katy GallagherVictoria Devine

What is the financial impact of the gender pay gap on Australian women in 2024?: In Australia, the gender pay gap causes women to effectively work for free for 48.7% of the year (from November 18th). This is due to a persistent wage difference between men and women, despite legal protections for equal pay.
How do different methods of calculating the gender pay gap affect the results and what factors contribute to these discrepancies?: This pay gap is shrinking, but at differing rates (1.3% annually under the current government versus 0.4% under the previous). However, this improvement is based on average weekly earnings of full-time employees and excludes part-time work, overtime, and bonuses, which significantly impacts the overall figure.
What systemic changes are needed to address the persistent gender pay gap, considering factors beyond part-time work and family leave?: The gender pay gap is influenced by factors such as workplace structure (women are under-represented in leadership positions), and potentially ingrained biases. Although the gap is closing, achieving true gender pay equity requires addressing systemic issues beyond average full-time earnings.

Cognitive Concepts

4/5

Framing Bias

The framing emphasizes the unfairness of the gender pay gap by highlighting the day women effectively work for free. The headline and opening paragraph immediately establish this emotional framing. While providing statistics, the narrative consistently reinforces the negative impact on women. The use of phrases like "essentially working for free" and "deeply flawed reasons" adds to the emotional impact and may influence reader perception to favor a particular perspective.

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