CANBERRA, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Women employed in the Australian Public Service (APS) are paid 13.5 percent less on average than their male counterparts, a government report has found.
The report, which was published by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) on Thursday, found that female federal public servants were paid an average of 121,435 Australian dollars (81,028.5 U.S. dollars) in 2022 compared to 140,442 AUD (93,712.8 USD) for males, a gender pay gap of 13.5 percent or 19,007 AUD (12,682.8 USD) per year.
For the first time the WGEA compared the gender pay gap and gender equality performance in the APS to the private sector where the gender pay gap in 2022 was 21.7 percent.
It found that 48 percent of 116 APS employers had a gender-balanced management team in 2022 compared to 27 percent of private sector employers.
Men accounted for 11 percent of all primary carer's leave taken by APS employees in 2022 compared to 14 percent in the private sector.
Mary Woolridge, chief executive of the WGEA, said that the data shows the APS has benefited from sector-wide reforms to address gender inequality but that more needs to be done.
"Good policies alone do not translate into outcomes. Positive change takes thought and deliberate action," she said in a statement.
"More does need to be done across all employers to continue to reduce the gender pay gap, including to combat stereotypes that deter men from taking parental leave and around women in non-manager roles."
Katy Gallagher, the Minister for Women and Minister for the Public Service, said in response to the report that the public service should set a standard for promoting workplace gender equality. ■
