In Australia, the average woman earns $26,000 less per annum than her male counterpart.
Data released by the Australian Workplace Gender Equality Agency in late 2017 shows that men outearn women across every industry, including female dominant occupations like nursing and childcare.
Despite an international push for change, the gap at home is widening, sitting 0.9 percent higher in 2017 than it was in 2016. This year, only 120 out of the 5,000 or so eligible Australian businesses were identified as an employer of choice when it comes to gender equality.
According to Human Resources specialist Simon Corcoran, part of the reason the gender pay gap is increasing is that many businesses do not even know where to start when it comes to gender equality.
"Creating lasting gender equality is not simply a matter of giving women a raise," says Simon, who is Co-CEO of A-HA! (A Human Agency). "It is about creating an inclusive workplace where women have the opportunity to deliver, perform and progress within the company. The problem is that many businesses have no idea how to identify the gender pay gap within their business. They are also unclear on what steps they need to take to level the playing field for the long term. Even with plenty of data at their fingertips, they don’t understand how to use and interpret it."
Narrowing the gender pay gap
The following steps can begin the process to improve gender pay equity across businesses of all sizes:
Create a data-driven narrative in the organisation that analyses trends over periods of time
Create a formal policy and strategy covering recruitment, retention, talent identification, training and performance management
Promote flexible working and encourage managers to discuss flexible solutions with their team
Implement systems and processes which actively reduce gender bias
Assign a committee to oversee gender equality strategy and to raise awareness of the benefits of diversity across the business
Finally, it is important for businesses to identify, analyse and track their gender pay gap. To help companies do this, A-HA! has created PPLYTX, a cloud-based software program which provides a detailed gender pay analysis based on company data within 60 seconds. "Using PPLYTX, businesses of all sizes can see their gender pay gap figures at a glance. By analysing their data and committing to change, they can take positive action and make 2018 International Women’s Day a launchpad for more positive gender equality," says Simon.
Visit http://www.a-ha.com.au/pplytx to find out more about creating a more equal future for Australia.
To interview Simon Corcoran, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of A-HA! (A Human Agency) about narrowing the gender pay gap in Australia, contact 0410 533 901 or email [email protected] ---
