{"id":272444,"date":"2025-11-28T12:00:32","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T01:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.russh.com\/?p=272444"},"modified":"2025-11-28T11:13:49","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T00:13:49","slug":"australia-gender-pay-gap-2025-wgea-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.russh.com\/australia-gender-pay-gap-2025-wgea-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia\u2019s gender pay gap is shrinking \u2014 But women still earn $28,000 less"},"content":{"rendered":"

Australia\u2019s gender pay gap<\/a> has edged in the right direction this year, according to new findings from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA)<\/a>. The latest Equality Scorecard shows that while progress is happening, the divide between what men and women earn remains substantial \u2014 and in some corners of the workforce, it\u2019s actually widening.<\/p>\n

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Where the gender pay gap stands in 2025<\/h3>\n

Across more than 5.4 million workers and 8,200 employers, WGEA found that women earn the equivalent of 78.9 cents for every dollar paid to men. Put differently, the average woman takes home around $28,000 less per year than the average man.<\/p>\n

The national pay gap now sits at 21.1%, which is a slight improvement of 0.7 percentage points on the previous year. WGEA chief executive Mary Wooldridge described this as \u201cprogress\u201d \u2014 and, importantly, progress that is beginning to speed up \u2014 but emphasised that deep structural issues remain.<\/p>\n

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Why the gender pay gap persists<\/h3>\n

Wooldridge says the shift toward fairer pay is being driven by employers introducing stronger policies around gender equality, flexible work and employee safety. These changes are slowly dismantling outdated assumptions about who leads in the workplace, and how different types of work are valued.<\/p>\n

But even with these improvements, disparities run deep. The gap varies state to state, with Western Australia recording the largest divide (28.8%) and Tasmania the smallest (10.6%). All states, however, saw at least some improvement from the previous year.<\/p>\n

Perhaps most concerningly, WGEA\u2019s data shows the pay gap among CEOs has widened, not shrunk, growing by 1.2 percentage points to 26.2%. Specifically, female chief executives earn $83,493 less in base salary than male CEOs, and the difference grows to $185,335 when bonuses, superannuation and other benefits are included. Representation is also still lopsided: women hold only one in five CEO roles, one in three board seats, and four in ten management positions.<\/p>\n

Similarly, the pay gap isn\u2019t confined to male-dominated industries. Earlier research from Jobs and Skills Australia reveals that men earn more than women in 98% of occupations \u2014 including sectors where women make up most of the workforce, like nursing and care work.<\/p>\n

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Shifts in parental leave are encouraging<\/h3>\n

There is, however, one encouraging sign: more men are taking primary carer parental leave<\/a>. Their share has climbed to 20%, up 3% from the previous year. It\u2019s a small but meaningful shift in a country where caring responsibilities have historically fallen disproportionately on women.<\/p>\n

Wooldridge argues that employers must ensure men feel equally empowered to take parental leave and request flexible working. \u201cPolicies are only half the battle,\u201d she said. \u201cWorkplaces also need cultures that genuinely support men and women to use these entitlements.\u201d<\/p>\n

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