A new report by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) found that while there has been progress with the gender pay gap, women earn, on average, A$28,356 less than men a year.
The report reveals that the gender gap fell from 21.8% last year to 21.8% this year, indicating that for every A$1 a man earns, on average, a woman earns 78.9 cents.
WGEA CEO Mary Woodbridge said the gender pay gap means employers are meeting employees' expectations of fair workplaces for everyone.
“Reductions to the pay gap and modest improvements towards gender-balance in leadership roles are underpinned by more employers having policies and taking action that can break down gender norms about leadership and caring responsibilities, as well as improving employee safety,” Wooldridge said.
Alongside the gender pay gap decreasing, Australia’s Gender Equality Scorecard for 2024-25 shows improvement in women in leadership roles and on boards, in the upper quartile of earners and across the 6 key areas that drive fairer, safer, more equal workplaces.
The scoreboard shows that 22% of CEOs are women, 39% of key management personnel are women, up 2 percentage points from last year, and 43% of managers are women, up one percentage point from last year.
Despite the increase in women in leadership roles, the gender pay gap for CEO salaries increased 1.2 percentage points to 29.2% over 12 months.
On average, women CEOs earn A$83,493 less on average than their male counterparts yearly.
When adding superannuation, bonuses, overtime and additional payments, this number increases to A$185,335.
Despite the progress shown by the scoreboard, the rate of improvement towards fairness and equality in workplaces is slow.
“WGEA’s 2025 Gender Equality Scorecard also highlights opportunities for employers to improve by taking comprehensive actions based on data and evidence,” Wooldridge said.
The report also found that on average, men earned 60% more from bonuses and overtime payments than women.
“WGEA encourages all employers to undertake a comprehensive gender pay gap analysis and as part of that review performance pay structures and access to overtime, to ensure they are fair and accessible for everyone,” Wooldridge said.
“This should be an annual process, even if salaries are set by awards or market rates.”
According to research conducted by Jobs and Skills Australia earlier this year, men are paid more than women in 98% of occupations, including in female-dominated industries like nursing.
