Equal Pay Day Saturday 4 September

Equal Pay Day 2010 – Saturday September 4…This year, we need to work 66 extra days to earn the same as men

This year the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) is highlighting that women have to work 66 extra days per year to earn the same as men (based on ABS figures released May 2010).

• Women’s Pay has remained between 80-85 percent of men’s since 1980.
• National Centre for Social Economic Modelling (NATSEM) estimates that the average Australian woman will earn almost $1 million less over her lifetime than the average Australian man
• By 2019 the average woman will have half the amount of superannuation than the average man
• Women are two and a half times more likely to live in poverty in their old age than men.

Women’s financial security is affected by the continued wage difference between the average earnings of men and women. Wage disparity exists in part because of the lower rates of pay attached to feminised industries such as child care, aged care and the community sector.

We need community awareness activities such as Equal Pay Day to help educate the business community on the benefits of pay equity, conducting pay audits, and maintaining fair and equitable workplaces.

There are a range of activities occurring to promote Equal Pay Day. EOWA have developed a range of resources that may be of interest to your members and supporters:

• Equal Pay Day page
• Pay Equity factsheets
• Pay Equity section of the EOWA website
• Video clips available through EOWA’s YouTube site
• Australian Council of Social Service Fast Facts: Equal Pay Campaign

Pay inequity is a community problem and the more people who understand its causes and consequences for business, for women and for their families, the more chance we have of eliminating it.