Equal Pay Day 2009

Equal Pay Day is held on Tuesday 1 September in Australia this year, to signify the point into a year that a woman must work to earn what a man made in the previous financial year.

Census statistics released in 2008 show that the gap between men's and women's earnings changed by less than one percent from 2006 to 2007, narrowing only slightly from 76.9 to 77.8 percent.

Do you believe in equal pay for equal work?

BPW Australia does, But not everyone gets it.

Here are the facts:

  • Women working full-time, year-round in Australia are paid only about 83 cents for every dollar earned by men
  • Lower wages mean less lifetime earnings for women giving them a lifetime of fewer choices
  • Some women in CEO and finance positions earn less than half of their male equivalents
  • The pay gap for women key management personnel is on average 28.3%, 11% higher than the national average gender pay gap
  • The average superannuation payout to a woman is projected to be $150,000, that’s half of the average payout to a man in 2010-11
  • The 17% gender pay gap is a national average that opens up to over 30% in some industry sectors
  • Pay inequity reveals systemic discrimination and continued under-valuation of women’s work
  • Equal pay for women raises family income which means more money to spend on food, housing and child care
  • Single mothers and working families lose thousands of dollars annually to the wage gap