Gender pay gap conclusions fail on role of family decisions

Janet Albrechtsen has exposed the absurdity of the conclusions arising from the latest report from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (“Gender pay gap zealots care nothing for fairness”, 28/2).

Men and women are not rivals or enemies. We work together, in family units, to deliver the best outcome for the unit. The fact women bear children has played a key part in the different roles we play in that unit throughout history.

Only in the past 50 or so years have technology, society and the benefits of prosperity made it possible for both sexes to do practically anything they want with the abilities they have.

But differences still exist and always will because, yes, men and women are different and, as Albrechtsen says, make different choices.

Often those choices are a matter of preference, but they also often involve sacrifices made for the family unit — and both men and women make those sacrifices.

At the moment, it is usually the woman who works less outside the home to nurture children, while men work longer to maximise income – but both voluntarily make that sacrifice, for the mutual benefit of the family unit. That may change over time, and already is changing in many households.

But it is a decision to be made by individual men and women, finding the right balance for their family – and not by overpaid bureaucrats and interfering governments. Stop wasting our money on this divisive rot.

Burt Bosma, Surrey Hills, Vic

Thank you, Judith Sloan, for calling out the nonsense of the gender pay gap (“Gender pay report just nonsense”, 28/2).

The fact many women choose to put their family life ahead of a 60-hour-a-week working career climbing to the “greedy jobs” is their choice, not a compulsion.

Plenty of women make it to those heights and are to be valued for their success, but it should not be assumed that all women hunger for that.

S. Goode, Loxton, SA

The gender pay gap could be reduced substantially if men worked shorter hours or deliberately moved to lower-paid jobs.

I wonder if the gender pay gap activists will ever understand why this rarely happens.

Murray Horne, Cressy, Vic

Let’s hope the focus on gender pay gap does not lead to DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) policies, so prevalent in the US, being adopted by employers.

It has recently been revealed that some hospitals in the US are now selecting surgeons by race or gender rather than merit. Perhaps this is why the third-biggest killer after heart disease or cancer is medical error.

John Kempler, Rose Bay, NSW

I, too, was staggered to hear that Australia has a gender pay gap in 2024. I thought men and women working in the same job got the same pay.

The situation is so bad in Australia that the WGEA named and shamed many private companies for being deliberately tricky. Call me a cynic, but when statistical data is massaged to produce a shocking headline-grabbing result it’s time for WGEA to come clean with the reasons behind its selective insights and then tell us all what it wants companies to do about it.

Janet Albrechtsen correctly suggests WGEA look at its own organisation and explain what the median earnings of male and female workers looks like and put itself, if need be, on the naughty list for gender pay gap inconsistencies.

As a taxpayer, I would like to see WGEA amend the findings to include all federal and state government public service personnel included in this report.

Lynda Morrison, Bicton, WA

I wanted to formally reach out and deeply thank Janet Albrechtsen, for her refreshing take on the gender pay gap.

It really is nice to know that some journalists still have integrity and some form of free thought outside of ideological and societal narratives.

I hope that Albrechtsen is recognised for the great work she is doing in providing her opinion, and as a 29-year-old female I can attest that there are other women (and men) who feel the same. Really appreciate this type of journalism, especially at a time when everyone seems to be repeating the same nonsensical story.

Barbara Cocca, Sydney