We pay more for the things we value more - Women's Agenda

We pay more for the things we value more

Over the last couple of weeks in the lead up to the election, I have noticed a really disturbing trend in the commentary around gender equality.

Instead of having a conversation about how to best support parents who have recently had children through a paid parental leave scheme, the debate has been about whether we should offer payments to wealthy women and whether people who choose to have children should receive any support at all.

Instead of discussing how we can overcome pay inequality in Australia, there has been a constant stream of criticism about the data, a denial of the existence of a pay gap.

Last year I gave a speech opening with ‘we pay our daughters less pocket money than we pay our sons’. I went on to speak for 10 minutes about the complexity of gender equality and the challenges it presents the modern workplace, but the comments I received were almost entirely relating to the opening line about pocket money and how that could not be true.

Today, is Equal Pay Day – a day which recognises the fact that in Australia, and across the world, women continue to be paid less than men. In Australia, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency finds that the pay gap in Australia is 17.5%. Before you start to think, or respond denying the existence of the pay gap, bear with me.

The pay gap is calculated on the basis of average full time earnings. So it does not factor in that women make up the vast majority of part-time workers. It simply compares the average full-time salary of women with the average full-time salary of men.

Does the pay gap mean that every man is earning 17.5% more than every woman – no. Does it mean that to do exactly the same job that men are always paid more than women – no. But it does show that working women are earning less than working men and this has a substantial impact on their lifelong economic security.

Why is this the case?

The reasons for the gender pay gap include:

  • Women working in different industries than men
  • Over representation of women in low paying occupations
  • The undervaluing of women’s skills
  • Career breaks taken by women to have and raise children
  • Institutional influences such as how pay is set (the pay gap is lower in industries which rely less on individuals to negotiate their own wages)

Before you say ‘well that’s because women choose to work in careers and industries which don’t pay as well’ or ‘women are better at the softer roles which are unfortunately lower paid’ – it is worth considering whether these are real choices made by women, or whether from a young age we are influenced to make choices which are considered by society to be ‘appropriate’.

Women continue to be over-represented in childcare and aged care – sectors which are also notoriously underpaid. Is there really something innate in women that makes them want to work in these roles? Or over the course of their lives, are girls encouraged and rewarded for being nurturing, caring and committed – and are these skills recognised as key to the roles outlined here?

Retaining women after they have had a period of leave to have and raise children remains a challenge for many employers. Too often, I am told that this is because women’s priorities change when they have children and they don’t want the top jobs. Recently, a male manager told me that he had deliberately taken his female report off a major project because she was a new mum and he didn’t think she needed the stress. This gesture was intended to be kind – but instead, it represented something which happens across our society – women being overlooked for the opportunities necessary to advance their careers. Our workplaces continue to be inflexible places which value hours worked not outcomes achieved. Until we can change this, we won’t overcome the pay gap.

The reality of the pay equity issue is that there are no quick fixes. But we can all do something:

  • If you are an employer, check your gender pay equity, if you find a gap in the amount being paid to men and women, work with both the individuals and their managers to overcome it
  • Talk to friends and family about the pay gap – try to dispel the myths
  • Talk to your children about issues of gender inequality and encourage them to try different things, not be limited by the ‘norms’ which society still places on the role of boys and girls

The unfortunate reality of our society is that we pay more for the things we value more. The pay gap is just one indicator of gender inequality in Australia – but it is a significant one. Stop denying that it is a problem and start trying to imagine a world where it isn’t.

The gender pay gap is stuck at 17.5%. Want to find out what you could earn as a man doing the same job? Calculate what you could earn below.

{module Gender pay calculator}

×

Stay Smart! Get Savvy!

Get Women’s Agenda in your inbox