Addressing the Gender Pay Gap

The gender pay gap in favour of men exists in all industries and occupations in Australia.

At Monash, we are committed to closing the organisation-wide gender pay gap through targeted actions and initiatives, as outlined in the Gender Equality Action Plan 2022-2025. To achieve this, we adopt a multi-faceted approach that focuses on improving gender representation in senior roles, implementing inclusive recruitment practices, actively promoting workplace flexibility, offering parental and caregiving leave and support, and addressing the effects of unconscious bias. We conduct regular organisation-wide gender pay gap analyses and report results to our governing body.

Guide for Understanding and Addressing the Gender Pay Gap (Monash Staff only)

About the gender pay gap

The gender pay gap is an internationally established measure of women’s position in the economy in comparison to men. It is not a comparison of like roles; rather it reflects the difference between the average or median pay of women and men across organisations, industries and the workforce as a whole. Expressed as a percentage or a dollar figure it shows the difference between the earnings of women and men.
The gender pay gap is calculated as the difference between the annualised average or median pay for men and women, expressed as a percentage of men’s pay.
Nationally, the gap between women and men's average earnings is the result of social and economic factors that combine to reduce women’s earning capacity over their lifetime. These factors include:
- Conscious and unconscious discrimination and bias in hiring and pay decisions
- Limited workplace flexibility to accommodate caring and other responsibilities, especially in senior roles
- Women’s greater time out of the workforce for caring responsibilities impacting career progression and opportunities
- Women’s disproportionate share of unpaid caring and domestic work
Research conducted by WGEA, Diversity Council Australia and KPMG identified three top drivers of the gender pay gap: gender discrimination; care, family and workforce participation (years not working due to interruptions) and type of job (occupational segregation).
- Conduct a gender equity snapshot of your local area
- Set measurable targets
- Tackle Unconscious Bias
- Seek diversity on decision-making panels
- Actively promote flexible work
- Promote equal access to career advancement opportunities

Additional resources

Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) - 'What is the gender pay gap?'
Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) - Employer Gender Pay Gaps Snapshot (pdf)

Gender Equity

Gender Equity

Addressing the Gender Pay Gap

About the gender pay gap

Additional resources