Lisa Wilkinson becomes new face of gender pay gap after shock exit from Nine
ANALYSIS: Lisa Wilkinson’s shock exit from Nine over a pay dispute has resonated with frustrated Australian women. These numbers reveal why.
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LISA Wilkinson’s shock exit from Nine over a gender pay dispute has resonated with of millions of Australian women fighting to close the salary gap.
The breakfast TV superstar’s decade-long career with Channel Nine came to an abrupt end after she rejected the broadcaster’s pay offer, which was reportedly up to $200,000 short of co-host Karl Stefanovic’s salary.
While the disparity is shocking, the situation is uncomfortably familiar for too many women.
In August, figures from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency showed Australian women earn on average $251.20 less per week than men.
It was also found the gender pay gap worsened with seniority, as in Wilkinson’s case. The average pay gap between male and female top-tier managers was found to be a whopping $93,000.
OPINION: How Nine blew it on Lisa Wilkinson
Workplace Gender Equality Agency boss Elizabeth Lyons said Wilkinson’s story resonated “because gender pay gaps are real”.
“This is not only an issue for the stars and high-profile personalities but all women. Our data shows that in the free-to-air TV sector, men earn 22 per cent more than women on average,” she said.
“Our data also tells us that women and men being paid differently for the same job is common. This is especially the case at senior levels. The gender pay gap climbs to 26.5 per cent for Key Management Personnel, which equates to an annual difference of $93,000 in total remuneration.”
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins described the gender pay disparity as “unacceptable”.
“Progress has been far too slow,” she said.
“I would encourage all organisations to conduct a gender wage gap audit to identify and address any gaps. The Male Champions of Change Coalition recently launched a comprehensive step by step guide for organisations to accelerate their efforts to achieve pay equity. I encourage employers to take note, step up and take action. “
MORE: Lisa Wilkinson leaves Channel 9 for 10’s The Project
Dr Simon Pervan from Swinburne University said Wilkinson and women in similar roles should be judged primarily on their ability to attract revenue to a company.
“When you look at someone like Wilkinson, at the end of the day she should be judged on being a commercial operation — her ability to attract advertising revenue which is determined by the audience,” the associate professor of management and marketing told News Corp.
“There’s obviously the work she does and the hours she does and all those things, but the appeal is very important as well and that ties in to her ability as a host.
“I don’t know that those factors have been used by way of explanation ... the more popular the show, the more they can ask for.”
Dr Pervan said the Nine Network should have asked: “Does Karl’s presence alone bring twice the audience?”
“If Karl brings in twice the audience that Lisa does, well okay Karl gets more,” he said.
“Those are the questions that should be asked but unfortunately the research shows there might be an element of discrimination in this process.”
Factors such as implicit bias — where someone might unconsciously attribute particular qualities to a member of a social group — play a big role in gender politics.
Dr Pervan said women were often not offered flexible workplace arrangements they might need in the middle of their career after having children due to being victims of indirect discrimination.
“You can’t help but be a little cynical ... because it’s like, here it goes again. You start to see the lack of integrity in organisations,” he said.
MORE: Lisa’s best Today show moments
One TV executive told News Corp Wilkinson’s departure from Nine “changes everything for women in television”.
While that may ring true to some extent, Dr Pervan said it was unlikely to spark significant reform on the issue for most women but acknowledged the need for public discourse.
“There needs to be outrage because there is overwhelming evidence to say an element of it is discriminatory”.
Ms Lyons recently warned it could be another 50 years before women start to see equal pay.
“Recent analysis has estimated the number of years for the gender pay gap to close across a range of countries, including Australia,” she told a Senate inquiry in July.
“The analysis estimates that Australia is 50 years away from closing the pay gap, with some countries as far as 300 years away.”
Employment Minister Michaelia Cash told News Corp Australia: “The Turnbull Government is taking a multifaceted approach to addressing the many drivers of pay inequity in Australia, including for flexible work, childcare costs and early education.
“The recent reduction in the gender pay gap demonstrates the Turnbull Government’s policies to assist women breakdown barriers in the workforce are delivering results, but more work needs to be done.”
STATE OF PLAY
The nation’s full-time gender pay gap currently stands at 15.3 per cent, according to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency.
With a full-time workforce concentrated in the mining and construction sectors, Western Australia is the worst offender when it comes to giving women equal salaries with a pay gap of 22.8 per cent.
In contrast, South Australia and Tasmania were the most fair with gaps of 9.8 per cent and 11.9 per cent respectively.
Public administration was the clear winner when it came to the most fair industries, The sector had the least disparity between women’s and men’s salaries at just 5.9 per cent.
The financial and insurance services industry on the other hand took the cake for having the worst gender pay gap at 29.6 per cent. This was followed closely by the professional, scientific and technical services industry and construction.
But it’s not all bad news. A Gender Equity Insights 2017 report found non-managerial women out-earn men on average by 7.8 per cent, or around $4,000 a year, for part-time employees.
Unsurprisingly, the report stated gender pay gaps had barely shifted in the last 20 years despite the advances women have made in education, workforce participation and legislation prohibiting discriminatory behaviour.
It did, however, note the gap has remained in favour of women in part-time work roles and expanded over time from -4.2 per cent to -6.7 per cent when using total remuneration.
Originally published as Lisa Wilkinson becomes new face of gender pay gap after shock exit from Nine
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