Private girls’ schools have wider gender pay gaps than boys’ schools

Australia’s most elite private girls’ schools, including St Catherine’s in Sydney and Melbourne Girls Grammar, have larger gender pay gaps in favour of men compared to the salaries of staff at the country’s top all-boys schools.

An analysis of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s 2023-24 data shows the 20 most expensive boys’ schools across Melbourne and Sydney have, on average, bucked the national trend and achieved gender pay parity, with female staff at Knox Grammar School in Sydney and Marcellin College in Melbourne paid on average 20 per cent more than men.

WGEA’s second national snapshot, which details what the gender pay gap is at 7800 companies where more than 5 million Australians work, has revealed nearly three-quarters of all employers, on average, pay men more than women. High-paying employers are the most likely to have a gender pay gap in favour of men and a larger gender pay gap, according to the agency.

WGEA’s second national snapshot has revealed nearly three-quarters of all employers, on average, pay men more than women.Credit: Marija Ercegovac

The average gender pay gap, including base salary, bonuses and superannuation, was 21.7 per cent in 2023-24. Construction (25.3 per cent), financial and insurance services (22.2 per cent), and rental, hiring and real estate services (21.2 per cent) industries had the largest gaps.

WGEA considers any pay gap below -5 per cent is in favour of women, while pay gaps above 5 per cent are in favour of men. Anything between -5 and 5 per cent is considered neutral.

“There was a lot of response [from employers] last year when asked [saying] ‘we pay workers the same pay for the same work’. That’s absolutely vital, but what employers are saying when they say that is they’re complying with the law [requiring] equal pay for equal work, and that’s been the law for 50 years,” WGEA chief executive Mary Wooldridge said.

“But that’s not what we’re talking about … I think the challenge for employers to articulate [is] they’ve got a gap, what’s driving it and what are they doing about it?”

The average gender pay gap of the total remuneration, which includes bonuses and superannuation, at the top 20 private girls’ schools in Melbourne and Sydney in the last financial year was 6.9 per cent, on par with the industry average.

In Sydney, St Catherine’s, where tuition fees for year 12 students are $44,000,had the highest gender pay gap in favour of men at 12 per cent. Seventy-five per cent of staff are women, while 70 per cent of women are paid in the upper quartile.

Ascham, which charges $43,000, had a gender pay gap of 7 per cent and Kambala, where year 12 fees are about $44,000, had a gap of 5.7 per cent.

In Melbourne, MLC, which charges year 12 fees of about $43,000, had a gender pay gap of 7.4 per cent, which was lower than the national average and in line with the average for the education sector. The school said its workforce is 82 per cent female and 73 per cent of leadership roles are held by women, well above national and sector benchmarks.

The pay gap at Melbourne Girls Grammar is 11 per cent and 9 per cent at Lauriston Girls School.

The only elite girls’ school across the largest capital cities that had a gender pay gap slightly in favour of women was MLC School, based in Sydney, where the gap was -0.5 per cent.

Other schools considered gender-neutral by the WGEA are Pymble Ladies College (3.4 per cent), Ravenswood School for Girls (2.5 per cent), SCEGGS Darlinghurst (4.2 per cent), Toorak College (3.4 per cent) and Korowa Anglican Girls School (0.8 per cent).

MLC School principal Lisa Moloney said they were proud of their gender pay parity, and the school believed in the importance of demonstrating to students strong female leaders are the norm.

“The majority of our executive team are women, with the balance of middle leaders also being female,” Moloney said. “We are invested in living our values and ensuring our motto – Dare to be more – is authentically modelled for our girls, staff and our community.”

International Coalition of Girls’ Schools regional executive director Loren Bridge said the WGEA data did not account for the fact many women chose to work part-time or in different roles to men.

The snapshot is also skewed by the wages of casual employees, Bridge said.

“It’s in the DNA of girls’ schools to provide opportunities for girls to see leadership in action and believe that they can succeed without the shackles of gender inequality. Gender equity is and will continue to be a priority for our schools for both staff and students,” Bridge said.

“Like many schools, the workforces in girls’ schools are predominantly female. For girls’ schools, this is particularly true at a leadership level.”

Of the 20 elite boys’ schools, 12 had a gender pay gap in favour of women. Sydney’s Knox Grammar School had the largest gap favouring female staff, who are on average paid 22.1 per cent more than men. While 44 per cent of staff at the school are women, 55 per cent are in the upper quartile of pay, according to WGEA.

Shore School (-11.9 per cent) and the Scots College (-7.9 per cent) also had large pay gaps in favour of women, who made up 48 per cent and 44 per cent, respectively, of staff paid in the upper quartile.

In Melbourne, Marcellin College had the largest gender pay gap of 18.1 per cent in favour of women, followed by Brighton Grammar (-9.8 per cent) and Parade College (-4.5 per cent).

Sydney Grammar School (15.3 per cent), St Aloysius College (15.7 per cent), Camberwell Grammar (13 per cent) and Yeshivah College (7.2 per cent) had the largest gender pay gaps in favour of men.

An analysis of the 10 most expensive private schools, including co-ed, shows the gender pay gap is 3.5 per cent – almost half the industry average.

Sydney Grammar School, which charges $42,000 for Year 12 tuition fees, had the largest gap and also the fewest number of women in the upper quartile of pay. While 49 per cent of staff are female, only 35 per cent were among the highest paid.

PLC Sydney (10.6 per cent) and Mount Scopus Memorial College (6.4 per cent) rounded out the top three schools with the largest gender pay gaps. The Scots College (-7.9 per cent), The King’s School (-3 per cent) and Cranbrook School (-4.4 per cent) were the only schools in that cohort with a pay gap slightly favouring female staff.

International Boys School Coalition, Melbourne Girls Grammar, St Catherine’s in Melbourne and Sydney, Sydney Grammar, and St Aloysius were contacted for comment.

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