Female staffers facing pay pain

The median Australian female worker is taking home $18,461 less than her male counterpart, new firm-level pay figures have revealed.

Released by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency on Tuesday, pay comparison data for all employers with 100 or more staff has demonstrated the stark split in pay packets between men and women.

Nationally, the median male worker makes $96,945 while the median female worker earns 19 per cent less at $78,484.

WGEA chief executive Mary Wooldridge said Australia urgently needed to close the gender pay gap to achieve equality and fairness in the workplace.

“It’s important information to bring transparency to Australia’s medium and large companies and what we see on the positive front is about 30 per cent have a gender pay gap,” she said.

“But about two-thirds have a gender pay gap significantly in favour of men and they’re the changes that we need to make.”

Among the businesses with 5000 or more employees, airline Virgin Australia reported the most significant pay discrepancy with a gap of 41.7 per cent, while Qantas Airways reported a 37 per cent difference.

When comparing the big four banks, CBA reported the most significant gender pay gap of 29.9 per cent, while Westpac had a 28.5 per cent gap, ANZ 23.1 per cent, and NAB disclosed an 18.8 per cent difference.

The major supermarkets fared far better but still fell short of parity.

Fast-food retailer McDonald’s reported no difference between its male and female median worker.

At the other end of the spectrum, Ritchies supermarkets and liquor stores reported the median female worker was paid 25 per cent more than their median male colleague.

According to WGEA analysis, less than one-third of employers (30 per cent) have gender pay gaps that WGEA considers neutral. Of the remaining, 62 per cent were “in favour of men”, where the pay for the median man was more than 5 per cent more.