The Gender Retirement Gap means men retire on average with $93,000 more than women. The Hold the Door Report identifies the five closed doors women face up to that point, due to unconscious bias.
Data released by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has highlighted an average gender pay gap in Australia of 13.3 per cent. Having applied this pay gap to a ‘typical’ 9am – 5pm workday, we have calculated that as of 3:56pm every day, Australian women are effectively working for free.
Aware Super CEO, Deanne Stewart believes more can be done to end pay inequity, and showing the real impact to women is a step in the right direction.
"For us, Pay Gap O’Clock symbolises the single greatest impediment to Australian women achieving their best possible financial position at retirement. It’s frankly not good enough and it’s not enough that we talk about this issue a few times throughout the year.
That’s why we’ve designated 3:56pm as Pay Gap O’Clock – to put a daily reminder in the diaries of Australian workplaces that as of this time, your female workforce is essentially there for free."
What is Gender Pay Equity and the Gender Pay Gap?
Gender pay equity is the difference in pay between genders holding an equal position. Among other factors, such as limited paid parental leave, direct and indirect discrimination, lack of work flexibility and the predominantly lower wages in the highly feminised caring sectors, gender pay equity is one of the biggest contributing factors to the gender pay gap.
We think this is important to talk about for two reasons:
On average women are paid 13.3% less than their male counterparts
Women work on average 64 minutes per day for free
Australian women do $51.8 billion worth of free work each year
Over time the pay difference for women equates to thousands of dollars in lost super
To demonstrate the impact of WGEA’s gender pay gap data on Pay Gap O’Clock around the country, you’ll find below the Pay Gap O’Clock times by both Australian State and Territory, and Industry Sector. This also shows the knock-on effect of the gender pay gap on women’s own retirement savings.
Times have been calculated to local time
true
Scroll table horizontally on mobile
| Industry | Gender Pay Gap % | Gender Pay Gap $ | Gender Retirement Gap $* | Pay-gap adjusted minutes | Pay-gap adjusted working day | Pay Gap O'Clock (your local time) | Women's minutes per hour | 3-hour adjusted shift | 4-hour adjusted shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific & Technical Services | 21.2% |
$498.20 |
$149,000 |
102 | 378 | 2:59pm | 47 | 2:21 | 3:08 |
| Health Care & Social Assistance | 21.1% | $437.80 | $131,000 | 101 | 379 | 3:13pm | 47 | 2:21 | 3:08 |
| Financial & Insurance Services | 19.1% | $460.10 | $138,000 | 92 | 388 | 3:29pm | 49 | 2:27 | 3:16 |
| Construction | 16.1% | $294.90 | $88,000 | 77 | 403 | 3:30pm | 50 | 2:30 | 3:20 |
| Rental Hiring & Real Estate Services | 15.0% | $270.70 | $81,000 | 72 | 408 | 3:36pm | 51 | 2:33 | 3:24 |
| Mining | 16.1% | $466.40 | $139,000 | 77 | 403 | 3:43pm | 50 | 2:30 | 3:20 |
| Wholesale Trade | 15.4% | $270.70 | 74 | 406 | 3:44pm | 51 | 2:33 | 3:24 | |
| Information Media & Telecommunications | 16.9% | $405.30 | 81 | 399 | 3:49pm | 50 | 2:30 | 3:20 | |
| Administrative & Support Services | 18.5% | $313.30 | 89 | 391 | 3:45pm | 49 | 2:27 | 3:16 | |
| Transport, Postal & Warehousing | 11.7% | $213.40 | 56 | 424 | 4:00pm | 53 | 2:39 | 3:32 | |
| Retail Trade | 11.7% | $167.20 | 56 | 424 | 4:00pm | 53 | 2:39 | 3:32 | |
| Manufacturing | 11.3% | $183.10 | 54 | 426 | 4:02pm | 53 | 2:39 | 3:32 | |
| Education & Training | 10.1% | $205.50 | 48 | 432 | 4:08pm | 54 | 2:42 | 3:36 | |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 8.5% | $114.10 | 41 | 439 | 4:13pm | 55 | 2:45 | 3:40 | |
| Public Administration & Safety | 6.0% | $119.70 | 29 | 451 | 4:18pm | 56 | 2:48 | 3:40 | |
| Arts & Recreation Services | 11.5% | $198.50 | 55 | 425 | 4:25pm | 53 | 2:39 | 3:32 | |
| Electricity, Gas, Water & Waste Services | 8.6% | $184.10 | 41 | 439 | 4:28pm | 55 | 2:45 | 3:40 | |
| Other Services | 3.7% | $49.50 | 18 | 462 | 4:49pm | 58 | 2:54 | 3:52 |
Assumptions:
*We have assumed that the gender pay gap is to decrease steadily to nil over the next 168 years. This is a projection based on the annual reduction in the gender pay gap over FY22 for East Asia and the Pacific. (Source: World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report 2022).
Results are based on 40 years in the workforce and are shown in today’s dollars, rounded to the nearest $1,000.
We have assumed an investment return net of all tax and fees of 6.25% p.a., and an inflation rate of 4% p.a. Employer SG contributions are included at the legislated rate (growing from 10.5% in FY23 to 12% in FY26 and beyond).
Anyone who recognises Pay Gap O’Clock should do it in a way that’s meaningful and appropriate for themselves – it could be as simple as setting an alarm on your desk to go off at 3:56pm, or meeting a colleague for an afternoon cuppa.
Aware Super regularly encourages companies we invest in to publish their gender pay equity policies on the company intranet - and to talk to staff about this. If you don’t know your company's policy, open a dialogue with your employer.
If you’re Employer, visit WGEA’s Take Action page, which is full of useful tools and guides to help companies to start building out their Gender Equity Strategy and become an Employer of Choice.
We’re aware of the challenges many of our female members face in achieving an equal retirement compared to their male counterparts. That’s why we choose to challenge the government and superannuation industry to affect real change. We have, and continue to, advocate for:
