Working woman have to work 64 days more per year to earn the same as a man

**WorkingClassMum** · 02-09-2012 13:41

WOMEN must work an extra 64 days a year to earn as much as male colleagues, new figures show.
The pay gap has also widened in the past year, prompting calls from the trade union movement for legislative change.
''Corporate Australia has been given plenty of opportunity to create an even playing field between men and women, yet here we are on another Equal Pay Day lamenting the fact that it is taking longer and longer for women to earn the same as men,'' the president of the ACTU, Ged Kearney, said.
Equal Pay Day is today - the 64th day of the financial year. It is held on the day women catch up to men's earnings of the previous year. This year, it took women 64 days, while in the previous two years it was 63.
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The union movement wants the review of the Fair Work Act to compel employers to seriously consider requests for flexible working arrangements. ''Right now employers can just pay lip service to such a request without having to explain their refusal and most women have no appeal rights,'' Ms Kearney said.
Minister for the Status of Women, Julie Collins, said the pay gap remained a serious issue for the government.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/eq...#ixzz25HRLosR6

**Elijahs Mum** · 02-09-2012 15:28

Excuse my ignorance as I've only ever worked in one field which is all equal pay but what professions have different wages for women/men?

**WorkingClassMum** · 02-09-2012 15:47

Originally Posted by Elijahs Mum

Excuse my ignorance as I've only ever worked in one field which is all equal pay but what professions have different wages for women/men?

Off the top of my head, accounting, bookkeeping, banking, most management positions, teaching in private and religious schools, construction project management, anything where there is management salary packaging, legal and any industry not controlled by a union.

**Juzz** · 02-09-2012 16:01

I'm always a little dubious of stats like this...

I wonder if it takes into account the fact that many women CHOOSE to work part time, so from an annual salary perspective, it looks a lot less...

I also think that perhaps the gap is due to choices women make about our priorities.... For example my boss and I had a frank discussion last week about the fact that I am happy with the level of our org I am currently working at, and am not at all interested in further developing my role (so more $$$) until my 2 year old DS is in school... So in effect I'm choosing to cap my earnings at the moment, whereby a male colleague might now step into the bigger role, thus his earnings become greater than mine... I'm in a relatively senior role so this is also contributing to the male majority in Senior management roles... But it's totally because my priorities have changed and I am now more interested in developing my parenting role as opposed to my corporate role... if that makes sense?

**Luna Lovegood** · 02-09-2012 16:09

Originally Posted by Elijahs Mum

Excuse my ignorance as I've only ever worked in one field which is all equal pay but what professions have different wages for women/men?

Advertising and marketing.

**shelle65** · 02-09-2012 16:15

Originally Posted by Elijahs Mum

Excuse my ignorance as I've only ever worked in one field which is all equal pay but what professions have different wages for women/men?

Professions where salary increases are at the whim of management based on performance reviews with mostly made-up criteria. Professions where starting salaries for new roles are based on negotiation.

**WorkingClassMum** · 02-09-2012 16:20

Originally Posted by Juzz

I'm always a little dubious of stats like this...

I wonder if it takes into account the fact that many women CHOOSE to work part time, so from an annual salary perspective, it looks a lot less...

I also think that perhaps the gap is due to choices women make about our priorities.... For example my boss and I had a frank discussion last week about the fact that I am happy with the level of our org I am currently working at, and am not at all interested in further developing my role (so more $$$) until my 2 year old DS is in school... So in effect I'm choosing to cap my earnings at the moment, whereby a male colleague might now step into the bigger role, thus his earnings become greater than mine... I'm in a relatively senior role so this is also contributing to the male majority in Senior management roles... But it's totally because my priorities have changed and I am now more interested in developing my parenting role as opposed to my corporate role... if that makes sense?

Thisis one stat I'm not dubious about - its like the earth tipping point that gets early each year and CPI, it's a figure that's been calculated over a fair few years.

It's not about what you're happy to work as, it's about what a man doing a similar/same job being paid more per our than a woman.

One job I had there where two bookkeepers, we both had the same qualifications, similar number of years working and I had way more diverse experience. When I found out he was being paid more per hour than I was I requested that I be paid the same. It took a bit of negotiation and I got a payrise, I left within two weeks as he ALSO got a payrise which means he was still belaying more than me. This was before I even had kids.

**Elijahs Mum** · 02-09-2012 16:21

But wouldn't all these industries have the same minimum award wage for both? So maybe it's just the bigger positions?

**WorkingClassMum** · 02-09-2012 16:23

Originally Posted by Elijahs Mum

But wouldn't all these industries would have the same minimum award wage ? So maybe it's just the bigger positions?

There are hundreds of industries that have no awards - many people are on individual contracts. This was brought aböut by Howard.

**NancyBlackett** · 02-09-2012 16:23

Most professional jobs - unless they are Government positions - don't have an award wage.

Working woman have to work 64 days more per year to earn the same as a man

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