Today the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has announced that Equal Pay Day for 2023 will be August 25, with women in Australia working for 56 days after the end of the financial year to make up the difference caused by the gender pay gap.
The Agency is marking the day by noting that those 56 days of missing pay matter.
WGEA CEO Mary Wooldridge said Equal Pay Day is a call to action.
“In 1969 Australian women won the right to equal pay. But something is still missing,” Ms Wooldridge said.
“For some people, the gender pay gap is hard to understand or does not seem relevant to their everyday lives. But for women in Australia, the gender pay gap matters. The dollars and cents represent the value placed on their skills, labour and time. It represents missing money that could be spent to meet everyday costs of living.
“What’s missing matters. It matters for individuals, it matters for families and it matters for Australia.
“The gender pay gap costs the Australian economy $51.8 billion every year.”
The February 2023 ABS average weekly earnings data shows that, on average, women earn 87 cents for every $1 earned by men. That’s a difference of $253 every week and $13,183 every year. At the average rate of pay for women, this is the equivalent of eight extra weeks of work (56 days).
“It doesn’t matter how you cut the data, the outcome is still the same: there’s a gender pay gap in every industry and every occupation that means women earn less than their male colleagues,” Ms Wooldridge said.
“Sometimes you don’t notice something until it’s not there. That’s why we are asking employers to take action to reduce their gender pay gap and demonstrate that what’s missing matters.”
Download the social media toolkit and learn more about Equal Pay Day at www.wgea.gov.au/pay-and-gender/equal-pay-day-2023
Add WGEA’s Equal Pay Day countdown clock to your own website and communications at www.wgea.gov.au/pay-and-gender/equal-pay-day-2023/countdown-clock
Media contact
Emma Manser, Media & Communications Manager
About the Agency The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) is an Australian Government statutory agency charged with promoting and improving gender equality in Australian workplaces. Explore the gender equality data for your industry or employer at www.wgea.gov.au
MEDIA RELEASE: What’s missing matters on 2023 Equal Pay Day
MEDIA RELEASE: Today the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has announced that Equal Pay Day for 2023 will be August 25, with women in Australia working for 56 days after the end of the financial year to make up the difference caused by the gender pay gap.
GET INVOLVED: 2023 Equal Pay Day Social Media Toolkit
A URL link to social media tiles to promote 2023 Equal Pay Day. Find the images at www.wgea.gov.au/pay-and-gender/equal-pay-day-2023