Latest scorecard reveals more work needed on top to close gender disparity
The gender pay gapnarrowed this year amid stronger actions from employers, but more work needs to be done at the top, according to the latest scorecard from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA).
Australia's gender pay gap dropped to 21.1% in 2025, down by 0.7 percentage points from the 21.8% in the previous year.
It means that for every $1 men earn, women earn, on average, 78.9 cents. This adds up to $28,356 in a year, WGEA said in a statement.
WGEA CEO Mary Wooldridge attributed the reduction to actions taken by Australian employers.
Reductions to the pay gap and modest improvements towards gender balance in leadership roles are underpinned by more employers having policies and taking action that can break down gender norms about leadership and caring responsibilities, as well as improving employee safety,Wooldridge said.
Gender disparity progress
More than half of employers (55%) were able to reduce their gender pay gap,according to the WGEA scorecard, while more workplaces are conducting a gender pay gap analysis.
More employers are also consulting their employees on issues of gender equality, and are offering universal paid parental leave.
Additionally, there are also more women in leadership roles and on Boards, with 43% of managers being women, while more men are taking primary carer's parental leave.
Employers are shifting the dial towards fairness which is helping to close the gender pay gap, Wooldridge said.
Gender gaps on top
Despite this progress, the report revealed that more work needs to be done at the top of organisations.
The gender pay gap on CEO salaries increased 1.2 percentage points to 26.2% in the past 12 months.
It also noted that the proportion of women in leadership declines as the level of seniority increases.
There's been an increase in women's representation across all manager categories, but progress is slow to stagnant in some areas. The proportion of women CEOs remains at 22%, the report read.
While most employers now have a policy to prevent sexual harassment, just 60% of employers had their policy reviewed by the Board.
Around a third (36%) of Boards also did not receive training in this regard, while 24% have no data about sexual harassment prevalence reported to them.
With positive duty requirements to prevent and eliminate unlawful behaviours such as sexual harassment it's essential Boards are actively engaged and ensuring the workplace is safe for all employees, Wooldridge said.
Australia's gender gap progress
Minister for Women Katy Gallagher said the latest WGEA scorecard shows how far Australia has come, and how far it needs to go.
The gender pay gap affects women at every pay point from entry level to CEO and any reduction in the gap translates to more money in women's pockets and better economic outcomes for women, their families, and the economy, Gallagher saidin a statement.
The growing number of men taking paid parental leave is a testament to cultural change. However, we must not lose sight of areas requiring improvement, and the need for gender balance on governing bodies and for gender-balanced workforces.
Australia has been taking major steps to improve gender equality in workplaces. Employers with over 100 employees have been ordered tohave their gender pay gaps publishedon the WGEA website.
The government also introduced a policy that will require employers with over 500 employeesto set and make progresson three gender equality targets.
https://www.hcamag.com/au/specialisation/diversity-inclusion/australias-gender-pay-gap-narrows-to-211/558039
