This day will mark the 56 additional days from the end of the financial year women must work to earn the same average pay as their male counterparts in the most recent financial year. This is, also, just four days less than last year.
This year the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has created a countdown clock, which counts down the days to this year’s Equal Pay Day, which can be added to websites.
Add WGEA's countdown clock to your website
The announcement of Equal Pay Day was accompanied by new data revealing the gender pay gap is wider in Australia’s private sector. Women in the private sector are paid on average 77 cents on the dollar, compared to men. While women in the public sector are paid 88 cents on the dollar.
How is Equal Pay Day calculated?
WGEA uses the Australian Bureau of Statistics average weekly earnings data to calculate the number of days after the end of the financial year that women have to work to be paid the same as the average man. This is called Equal Pay Day.
The February 2023 average weekly pay for men working full time was $1,907.10. Women earnt $1,653.60 per week on average. That’s a difference of $253 every week and $13,183 every year.
At the average rate of pay for women, this is the equivalent of eight weeks additional paid work (56 days).
These figures are base salary only. They do not include bonuses, superannuation or overtime – which men are more likely to earn – or the salaries of Australians working part-time.
Get social
You can also join the WGEA’s ‘what’s missing matters’ social media campaign
Each week the WGEA is releasing an image with something missing on their social media channels which you are urged to share with the hashtags #whatsmissingmatters #equalpayday #closethegenderpaygap