Men are almost twice as likely as women to be employed in the best-paid jobs in Australia, according to the country’s latest government gender gap report.
Male employees account for 64 per cent of roles in the nation’s upper quartile of compensation, jobs that have a total average annual pay of A$221,320 (US$155,000), the Workplace Gender Equality Agency said in a report on Tuesday.
Though female representation in the top category has increased slightly, women remain 1.4 times more likely than men to be employed in the lowest quartile.
“When women are concentrated in lower-paid roles and under-represented in leadership, that imbalance shapes workplace culture – including whether it is safe to speak up,” said Julia Angrisano, national secretary of the Finance Sector Union, which represents staff in fields including banking and insurance.
Industries that pay the most, such as mining and construction, also tend to have the largest gender wage gaps, according to the report.
Across all sectors, the average pay gap in Australia was 11.2 per cent in the 2024-2025 reporting period, a reduction of 0.9 percentage points on the previous data.
Pay parity continues to be an issue across the world and progress has been threatened by President Donald Trump’s dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the US.
Globally, women earn 80 per cent of the amount male peers are compensated, according to the United Nations.
In Australia, discretionary pay also contributed significantly to the gender gap, the government agency said in its report.
Half of employers are offering men 29.7 per cent or more than female workers in compensation tied to performance bonuses, overtime and other additional payments.
The study covered more than 10,500 employers that have at least 100 employees, including 8,500 private-sector workplaces.