Gender pay gap falls … but not for bosses
The overall gender pay gap across the workforce has fallen but there is a widening at the top.
The gender pay gap across the workforce has fallen to 21.1 per cent but new data on chief executive salaries reveals a widening at the top to 26.2 per cent, with female bosses earning $83,493 less than their male counterparts, and $185,335 less when total remuneration is calculated.
New Workplace Gender Equality Agency analysis of data provided by over 8200 employers covering more than 5.4 million workers shows the gender pay gap has fallen 0.7 per cent, with women earning 78.9c for every dollar men earn, or $28,356 less over the year.
Men earn 60 per cent more, on average, than women in discretionary payments, including bonuses, allowances, overtime payments, and these additional payments make up a considerably larger percentage of total remuneration for men (12 per cent) than women (6 per cent).
Fifty per cent of employers have a gender pay gap above 11.2 per cent, with only 22.5 per cent of employers having a gender pay gap in the target range of -5 per cent to +5 per cent.
The new data on CEO salaries, reported by all employers to WGEA for only the second time, shows the gender pay gap at the top increased 1.2 percentage points in the past 12 months.
While the CEO base salary gap is, on average, $83,493, the difference more than doubles when superannuation, bonuses, overtime and additional payments are included.
Women hold 33 per cent of board seats, and 21 per cent of chair roles, up one percentage point in both categories, but 24 per cent of boards have no women members.
Men are taking a greater proportion of primary carer parental leave, with 20 per cent now taken by men, an increase of three percentage points for the second consecutive year.
WGEA chief executive Mary Wooldridge said while the report identified progress towards fairness and equality in workplaces, the rate of improvement was slow. Legislative reforms, including a new requirement for large employers to select and commit to achieve gender equality targets from 2026, were designed to accelerate change.
While 99 per cent of employers have a policy to prevent sexual harassment, just 60 per cent of employers had the policy reviewed by their board.
Thirty six per cent of boards received no training about sexual harassment prevention and 24 per cent of boards have no data about sexual harassment prevalence reported to them.
“With positive duty requirements to prevent and eliminate unlawful behaviours such as sexual harassment it’s essential boards are … engaged and ensuring the workplace is safe for all employees,” Ms Wooldridge said.
She welcomed the progress in men’s uptake of parental leave, calling it “a positive sign of shifting expectations a new generation of fathers have about spending meaningful time with their young families”.
“Employers should review their policies to ensure men have equal access to parental leave and flexible working arrangements. This should be supported by a culture that encourages and enables both men and women to use this leave,” she said.
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