Pay equity survey results

Media release August 2009

Women want government to close the pay gap

Australian women are not happy with their pay, particularly when comparing their own wages to what a man takes home in his pay packet and they want the government to take action.

Preliminary results of a poll conducted by online feminist organisation 2020women.org reveal that a whopping 98% of the 670 women surveyed agree that steps should be taken to close the gap between men's and women's earnings, and the majority of respondents identified government as the party who should fix the problem.

"We have had an excellent response to our online poll, which was distributed to many women, including those in women's organisations, in unions, in business, and in educational organisations," says Vicki Buchanan, 2020women's spokeswoman.

"Responses in our survey indicate that women believe the pay gap is a problem for 86% of those surveyed. In the broader picture, women understand how pay inequity affects the economy with 87% believing that the pay gap impacts Australia's economic growth."
"The results show that awareness of pay inequity is spread across all age groups. 94% of the women surveyed said they believe that women should report pay inequity when it occurs."

"Employers, government and unions were all seen to carry some responsibility for fixing the pay gap problem, but younger women have higher expectations of government than older women. Women under 20 see government as being key with 100% saying they want government to fix the problem".

"The results of the survey showed that 88% of women between the ages of 20 to 39 expect the government to fix the gender pay gap, compared to 81% of the women aged 40 to 59."

"Younger women also saw a bigger role for employers and unions in fixing the gender pay gap, with 79% giving a role to employers, and 52% giving a role to unions. In comparison, only 72% of women between 40 and 59 years thought employers should fix the problem, with 50% responding that unions should fix the problem."

"Women do acknowledge that individuals also have a part to play in pursuing their own wage equity, with younger women between 20 and 39 being the strongest on this front at 30%."

"Despite this, Australian women are not well informed about whether male and female pay has come closer over the last 20 years, with only 43% believing it has. In fact ABS statistics on full-time pay rates show that the gap in 2009 is back to being the same as it was in 1989. There has been no improvement in 20 years."

"Very significantly, 88% of those surveyed responded that they see a clear link between low retirement incomes and pay inequity. Younger women were less likely to understand the link between retirement income and pay inequity; only 67% of the under 20s and 84% of the 20-39 year age group agree there is a link. 91% of women in the 40-59 years age group and 60 years and over agree that this link exists."

"On a more personal level, 77% of respondents believe that men and women are not treated equally in the workplace, and a significant 62% reported impacts on themselves or their immediate family."

2020women acknowledges the support and assistance of Diversity Council Australia and the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) in preparing this survey to highlight Equal Pay Day on September 1st 2009.

2020women is an Australian organisation established to promote the equality of women by recognising and celebrating women's choices and aspirations, and by sharing stories and experiences. 2020women also aims to collect and present the views of women on issues that affect them.

Media inquiries: Vicki Buchanan 0417 334 759 or Jenni Colwill 0411 674 404