Thursday 8th September, is Equal Pay Day 2016. Equal Pay Day marks the additional time from the end of the previous financial year that women must work to earn the same as men.

Will you join WEL in promoting Equal Pay Day?

The date of Equal Pay Day is calculated each year with reference to the national gender pay gap, which is currently 16.2%. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency determines the national gender pay gap using Average Weekly Earnings data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

This data shows that over the previous twelve month period on average men working full-time earned $1613.60 per week, while women earned $1352.50 – a difference of $261.10 per week. 

WEL is campaigning to end the gender pay gap by working with leaders, academics and economists, and encouraging best practice in regard to renumeration packages.  We're dedicated to creating a society where women’s participation and their ability to fulfil their potential are unrestricted, acknowledged and respected and where women and men share equally in society’s responsibilities and rewards. We believe that equal pay is part of this vision. 

But, there's more to do and we'd like to keep a spotlight on the inequalities of the gender pay gap. 

Will you help bring awareness to this inequality? You can help out by printing this page, filling it out telling us why equal pay matters, and uploading a selfie to WEL's Facebook page using the hashtag #EPD2016, or upload to Twitter and mention @welaust with the hashtag #EPD2016. Alternatively, you can email us before 9am tomorrow and we'll upload it for you - [email protected]. 

Here's an example from our WEL NSW Membership, Engagement and Fundraising Coordinator, Amanda, who suggests for women, a loaf of bread or a coffee could be 16.2% cheaper. Failing this, the best way to address the pay gap is to make sure women are paid the same as their male counterparts.


For more information and statistics about Equal Pay Day and how people are marking the day to promote awareness, click HERE. We hope that through awareness and action, that next year we can get Equal Pay Day to fall closer to the end of financial year, bridging some of the gap between what male and female workers are paid.