Some Of Australia's Biggest Retailers Have Significant Gender Pay Gaps
- Demi Lynch
- Feb 27, 2024
- 2 min read
The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has calculated the median gender pay gap of more than 5000 organisations in Australia.
Up until now the gender pay gaps within firms were never public in Australia.
But thanks to recent law changes and the WGEA, we can finally bust the myth that the gender pay gap doesn't actually exist.
After analysing firms with more than 100 employees, the WGEA found that the Australian workforce has on average a 14.5 per cent median base salary gender pay gap, and an average 19 per cent median total remuneration gender pay gap in Australia's work sector.
Some of the largest cooperations with gender pay gaps includes Commonwealth Bank ( with a median base salary gender pay gap of 29.8 per cent), Westpac ( at 27 per cent) and the Collingwood Football Club ( at 42 per cent ) .
Data shows Jetstar has a 53.5 per cent gender pay gap, making it the highest gender pay gap in all commercial airlines in Australia.
But for many the most shocking data came from the Aussie retailers.
Many brands that primarily profit off female customers seem to have substantial gender pay gaps.
In the retail fashion space, City Chic recorded the highest median base salary gender pay gap at 57.7 per cent.
Not only does City Chic cater to predominately women, it's reported 96% of their entire workforce are women.
Similarly, 97% of employees at Lorna Jane are women, yet the activewear brand has a 36.3 per cent gender pay gap.
In the coming days it'll be interesting to see how and if the above retailers will release statements about this controversial data.
Hopefully this gender pay gap analysis will only lead to positive change within all work sectors in Australia - and most importantly lead to more women in higher paid roles.
