Female focused companies named as worst offenders in gender pay gap report
Companies and brands that are marketed toward women have some of the biggest gender pay gaps in the country, according to the landmark government report.
Companies with predominantly female customers have some of the largest pay discrepancies between their male and female employees.
Activewear label Lorna Jane (36.3 per cent), bikini brand Seafolly (44.5 per cent) and jewellery store Lovisa (26.4 per cent) have greater pay differences than the national median gap of 14 per cent, according to the first report into the gender pay gaps of 5000 Australian companies published on Tuesday.
“There are big-name brands who make profits off the products they market to women while not meeting gender pay parity in their own workforces. That is unacceptable. There are corporates who devote big money to social campaigns such as the voice and those that put on slick firm-wide morning teas for International Women’s Day. Organisations in both categories are underperforming when it comes to supporting women in their organisations. That is unacceptable,” deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley said.
The report, compiled by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency and which does not include the salaries of chief executives or public service data and converts casual and part-time rates to full-time earnings, has been welcomed by corporations and unions as a “starting point”.
“The pay gap is symptomatic of work done mainly by women being undervalued, and the evidence is that women with less security and less bargaining power are more subject to hostile and unsafe work practices. Improving the pay and conditions of working women is good for equality, good for economic policy, and good for our society,” ACTU president Michele O’Neil said.
Women’s Minister Katy Gallagher was joined by its author, WGEA chief executive Mary Wooldridge, in releasing the report, and said it now set a benchmark on employers’ progress.
“We need to be honest about it. It’s not about shaming. It’s not about naming. It’s not about saying men should be paid less, it’s about none of those things, it’s about driving that change we need to see in organisations,” Senator Gallagher said.
She encouraged businesses to consider quotas to get more women into leadership positions. “I’m a big believer in quotas. I think the evidence is very clear. Where you have them, they deliver.”
Senator Gallagher said ensuring more women rose to leadership positions could not be met with just one policy.
“There are things that government can do, particularly in our skills and training and places that we fund, to start trying to drive that change. But some of this has to happen at primary school level,” she said.
The Greens are now calling for the government to “stop subsidising discrimination” by giving taxpayer money to companies with big gender pay gaps, a suggestion that Senator Gallagher said she would consider.
Nationals senator Matt Canavan has been accused of “giving Labor a gift” for comparing the inaugural report to “annual Andrew Tate recruitment drives”.
“Young men, in particular, feel like they are now being discriminated against and that’s why they’re coming to watch the likes of Andrew Tate in droves,” Senator Canavan said, referring to the alleged rapist and human trafficker.
“Linking Australia’s first major report on the gender pay gap to ‘influencers’ like Andrew Tate, who glorify violence against women, is unacceptable,” Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said.
Senior Liberals have told The Australian that Senator Canavan’s comments sparked frustration within the Coalition.
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