Key Facts:
Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre report
With an ongoing gender pay gap of 21.8% according to the latest WGEA figures. For every $1 on average a man makes, women earn 78c. Over the course of a year, that difference adds up to $28,425.
Melbourne, 20 November 2025 — In a year filled with global noise about a DEI pullback, the Recalibrate Gender Equity Awards has named more than 60 finalists across Australia, proving that progress is being made where it matters, inside organisations and in people's daily work. WGEA's March 2025 release shows most employers are still outside the target range of plus or minus five percent, yet a majority improved over the last year, evidence that momentum is beating mood. Workplace Gender Equality Agency+1
What is newsworthy here is scale and substance. There are 60 plus finalists across enterprise, large, medium and SME company categories, plus individual categories from Employee through to CEO or Board Member. genderequityawards.com
Why bother? "Celebrating gender equity leaders and initiatives inspires others, and accelerates progress for everyone.", says judge Jeremy Crawford, CEO, Geelong Chamber of Commerce
What's new this year
Holding the line, in a headwind. Finalists include employers that have moved their numbers, and published what they pay. Dentons Australia reports a zero percent median gender pay gap in 2025, the first large law firm in Australia to do so. ANZ reports zero percent median on pay equity, while noting an 18.8 percent average gap that reflects structural mix, both figures published in its own equality reporting. These are concrete markers that closing the gap is possible, and that transparency is lifting the floor. Dentons+1
Intersectional category embedded. The Intersectional Company category now features four finalists — CeniTex, Western Health, GMHBA, Capgemini Australia — signalling that intersectional practice is moving from concept to capability. genderequityawards.com
Return finalists, steady improvement. Organisations back for a second or third time include Coulter Legal, Capgemini, Barwon Water, _nology, and Monash IVF Group, reinforcing that this work is cumulative and trackable across years. genderequityawards.com+1
Individuals with outsized impact. The strength of the Individual categories has grown, particularly the Employee category. More nominees are being recognised for changing hiring pathways, improving safety and respect, and lifting flexible work adoption inside teams, a reminder that everyone has a role to play. genderequityawards.com
Representative pay-gap proof points you can cite
Dentons Australia — 0 percent median gender pay gap, confirmed in its 2025 statement. Dentons
ANZ — 0 percent median pay equity reported, alongside an 18.8 percent average gap, both publicly disclosed in 2025. Using both figures gives an honest picture of progress and remaining work. ANZ
Context for all employers — WGEA's 2025 publication covers more than 7,600 private sector employers. Only about one in five sit inside the plus or minus five percent target band, yet 56 percent improved their gap year on year. Workplace Gender Equality Agency+1
About the Recalibrate Gender Equity Awards
Recalibrate celebrates organisations and people creating equitable workplaces, audited by KPMG and winners unveiled at Crown, Melbourne on 20 November. genderequityawards.com
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