Karmactive Staff
The gender pay gap in Australia has been laid bare, with new data showing men earn $28,425 more than women on average. Released today by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), the figures cover every private company with over 100 employees.
“For every $1 a male full-time worker earns, a female worker earns 78 cents on average,” the report states. About one-third of this gap comes from financial incentives beyond base salary – including superannuation, overtime, and performance bonuses.
The comprehensive data is now publicly accessible on WGEA’s website through their Data Explorer tool, allowing workers to check how their employer ranks.
Who’s Leading, Who’s Lagging
Nearly three in four Australian employers (72%) pay men more than women on average. The data reveals a troubling pattern: high-paying employers are most likely to have larger gender pay gaps favoring men.
Among the worst offenders are companies where some employees earn seven-figure salaries. According to analysis by The Australian Financial Review, these include:
- Goodman Property Services (66.8% pay gap)
- IFM Investors (61.6% pay gap)
- Morgan Stanley and UBS
Goodman Group explained their massive gap as resulting from a “unique remuneration structure” where up to 92% of pay is linked to long-term incentive programs tied to share prices.
Target Range Remains Elusive
Only one in five Australian employers have achieved what WGEA considers the target range for gender pay gaps (-5% to +5%). According to WGEA, this range “allows for normal business fluctuations and employee movements, while signifying that an employer has a focus on gender equality.”
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WGEA CEO Mary Wooldridge noted: “For employers that haven’t made progress, it’s time to ask why – dig into the data to find out what’s causing any gender differences and use evidence-based solutions to address them.”
What Drives The Gap?
The report identifies a key factor driving up to two-thirds of employer gender pay gaps: the over-representation of men in the highest-paid roles.
“Each employer has a unique set of circumstances that impacts the size of their gender pay gap,” Wooldridge explained.
Signs of Progress
There is some positive news: 56% of employers reduced their gender pay gap over the past year.
“It’s promising to see the big increase in the number of employers working to understand what is driving their gender pay gap, beyond unequal pay,” Wooldridge said. “Over the past year, employers have told us that publication of employer gender pay gaps is a catalyst to assess gender-based differences in all areas of their workplace.”
She added that meaningful change requires “purposeful action that breaks down traditional notions of what it means to be a worker and carer in the contemporary workplace.”
New Data, New Format
The 2025 data covers 7,800 individual employers and 1,700 corporate groups. This year’s reporting structure differs from 2024, with results now available for both corporate groups and their subsidiaries.
WGEA emphasizes that the gender pay gap differs from equal pay for equal work, which has been legally required since 1969. Rather than comparing like roles, the gender pay gap reveals differences in average pay across entire organizations, industries, and the workforce.
The data serves as a wake-up call for Australian businesses, especially as workers can now easily check how their employer ranks against others in their industry. With the information publicly available, companies may face increased pressure to address their gender pay disparities or risk losing talent to competitors with more equitable practices.
