Men almost twice as likely as women to earn high salaries in ‘reality check’ on Australia’s gender pay gap | Australian economy

Men are nearly twice as likely as women to earn $220,000 a year; There has been little progress in closing the gender pay gap in Australia over the past 12 months.

The federal government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) published gender pay gap results for 10,500 employers on Tuesday. It found there was a slight increase in the number of women in high-paying roles, but men were still 1.8 times more likely to be in the top quartile of earners, with an average salary of $221,000.

On the other hand, women were 1.4 times more likely than men to be in the lowest income quartile, with an average annual salary of $60,000.

WGEA chief executive Mary Wooldridge said the results should serve as a “reality check”.

“The fact that men are almost twice as likely as women to be in the highest paid roles, and women still dominate the lowest paid roles, should offer a reality check for anyone who thinks Australia has achieved equality in the workplace,” Wooldridge said.

In more than 50 percent of employers, the gender pay gap is more than 11.2 percent in favor of men.

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In 2024-25, 22.5% of employers recorded a gender pay gap within the target range; This rate was 21.4% in the previous year.

Last November, WGEA data revealed Australian women earned an average of 78 cents for every dollar earned by men. This meant they were paid $28,425 less on average than their male counterparts in the 12 months to March 2024.

Large differences in discretionary pay, such as performance bonuses and overtime hours, remain a key driver of many employers’ gender pay gaps, according to the new report.

“Employers should treat gender equality like any other business goal,” Wooldridge said. “Do a detailed analysis to find problems, create an action plan to solve them, and set goals to be accountable for to ensure progress occurs.”

Employers with the largest gender pay gaps were most likely to operate in male-dominated or high-paying, gender-balanced industries. This includes sectors such as financial services, construction and mining, where the gender pay gap is over 11.2% in the vast majority of workplaces.

Women’s minister Katy Gallagher said the publication of data that included public sector employers for the first time had helped “shift the dial”.

“This transparency sheds light on where progress is being made and where more work is needed,” he said.

“Gender pay gaps tell us a lot about how workplaces actually work, who gets opportunities, who gets rewarded and who has the flexibility to manage responsibilities outside of work.

“Flexible working is an important part of the solution. When workplaces truly support flexibility, women are more likely to stay engaged, move into senior roles and increase their lifetime earnings.”