A new report released by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) today reveals that Australian women are financially disadvantaged at every key stage of their life: in childhood, at the workplace, through pregnancy, motherhood and as a carer, and in retirement.
The ACTU’s Gender Pay Gap – Over the Life Cycle report shows that whether given less pocket money as a child, lower wages as a graduate, a poorer household income in pregnancy and as a mother or much lower savings in retirement, girls and women still face overwhelming inequality and lack of opportunity.
Women make up 42% of the workforce but currently earn 17.2% less than men. Today’s findings provides a three year update of Australian women’s pay and conditions since the ACTU’s original Gender Pay Gap report was published in 2013.
Key report findings:
Childhood:
The workplace:
Pregnancy, motherhood and caring:
Retirement:
Unions are calling for:
ACTU President Ged Kearney said, “In 2016, the findings in today’s report are just overwhelming. Young girls are still disadvantaged, women in the workplace are presented with constant barriers and older women face a poor retirement, possibly a retirement into poverty.”
“The ACTU hoped for change since the original report was published three years ago. How long do we all have to keep waiting? Why isn’t this government making inequality a priority?”
“A girl receiving 11% less pocket money than a boy is a simple indictor that we can all begin to make things fairer in our families. But when 60% of women aged between 65-69 years retire with no Super, 70% of workers in the lowest paid occupations are women and just 17% of Australian CEOs are women, this shouts out that we have major problems to tackle.”
Download the report: The Gender Pay Gap over the Life Cycle