Closing gender pay gaps guide

19 February 2024

Champions of Change Coalition aims to achieve inclusive gender equality by advancing more and diverse women into leadership, and building safe, respectful and inclusive workplaces for the future. Gender pay gaps are powerful aggregate measures of progress.

In Australia, pay equality – when women and men are paid the same for performing the same role or different work of equal or comparable value – has been a legal requirement since 1969. When women and men are not paid the same for performing the same or a similar role, it is sometimes referred to as the ‘like-for-like pay gap’. Champions of Change Members have closely monitored, taken action on and reported on pay equality for many years.

Tracking what is known as employer or organisation gender pay gaps is a different way to measure progress on gender equality. Employer gender pay gaps consider pay equality, as well as how successful organisations are in attracting, retaining and promoting women equally (in numbers and participation) at all levels, including to roles that attract higher pay, higher profile and higher economic value.

Applying different ‘lenses’ to the review of employer gender pay gaps, such as by considering the average (mean) and median gaps and gender composition by pay quartile, enables deeper analysis and offers new insights to guide meaningful action towards achieving inclusive gender equality.

Under new legislation, the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) is publishing employer gender pay gaps for all private sector organisations with more than 100 employees for the first time on 27 February 2024.

The Closing gender pay gaps: Guide for leadership, transparency and employer action resource is designed to support well-informed conversations between organisations and stakeholders regarding employer gender pay gaps. It can help organisations focus the discussion on the key drivers of gender pay gaps; steps taken to address them at an organisation, industry and national level; and future priorities for action.

• PDF GUIDE: Closing gender pay gaps: Guide for leadership, transparency and employer action
• PowerPoint GUIDE: Closing gender pay gaps: Guide for leadership, transparency and employer action
• REPORT: Closing gender pay gaps: Our actions and commitment
• RESOURCE: Achieving equal pay in like-for-like roles

The guide for leadership, transparency and employer action covers:

• Understanding gender pay gaps
• The drivers of employer gender pay gaps and focus areas for change at organisation, sector and national levels
• Details of collective action Champions of Change Coalition has taken to advance gender equality at organisation, sector and national levels, which helps to close gender pay gaps
• Elements that will be important for organisations to understand and address when communicating their employer gender pay gaps
• Templates to help organisations: articulate their commitment to closing gender pay gaps; understand their data; compare progress to peers; identify priority areas, develop action plans and communicate about gender pay gaps with their stakeholders.