Often women blame themselves for not getting paid enough. I should know, I was one of them for years and it started early. I had no idea that men got paid more than women until I was in my mid 20s interviewing for my first full time role in the fitness industry after university. I was driven to succeed, highly motivated, strove for excellence and was one of three of the most popular instructors at our gym, regularly packing out my classes to overflowing.

The job offer was done in a group setting, so while there may have been total transparency, there was also a total lack of understanding about how wrong they were when they offered me $5K less than my male peer. 

Out loud and in front of everyone.

I was gobsmacked. So, after I picked myself up off the floor and tentatively asked the question why I was being paid less, my future employer said “He’s a man so he will need more money than you”.

Mic drop. I kid you not.

My second thought?

Maybe it was somehow my fault. Maybe I should have tried harder. Because I only asked the once and I didn’t push back.

It was only when a couple of years later I spoke with another female instructor at the gym who had had a similar experience that I started seeing that it wasn’t me, it was a systemic and societal issue at play.

Fixing the gender pay gap in Australia doesn’t require fixing the women. Women work on themselves enough. We know it doesn’t work after 50+ years of trying fix women. Instead, it requires a multifaceted approach involving changes at various levels of society, including government policies, workplace practices, and societal attitudes. Here are some strategies that could help address the gender pay gap:

1. Legislation and Policy Reform
   • Strengthening and enforcing existing anti-discrimination laws to ensure equal pay for equal work
   • Policies such as pay transparency measures to make salary information more accessible and to prevent pay discrimination – which we are seeing more of now  
   • Providing incentives or penalties for organisations to promote gender equality in pay and advancement opportunities.
     
     
2. Promoting Pay Equity
   • Conducting regular pay audits to identify and address gender pay disparities within organisations.
   • Implementing structured salary bands and transparent promotion criteria to minimise subjective biases in pay decisions
   • Ensuring that recruitment, promotion, and performance evaluation processes are fair and unbiased.
     
     
3. Supporting Work-Life Flexibility
   • Encouraging flexible work arrangements, such as telecommuting and flexible hours, to accommodate caregiving responsibilities and reduce the motherhood penalty
   • Subsidising childcare costs to make it more affordable for parents, particularly mothers, to remain in the workforce.
     
     
4. Investing in Education and Training
   • Encouraging girls and young women to pursue education and careers in traditionally male-dominated fields through outreach programs and scholarships.
   • Encourage young men to pursue education and careers in traditionally female-dominated fields – and another way would be to pay more in those sectors as it’s well known that traditionally female dominated fields pay less
   • Providing training and mentorship programs to support women’s career advancement and leadership development.
     
     
5. Changing Societal Attitudes
   • Challenging gender stereotypes and biases that contribute to the devaluation of women’s work and hinder their advancement in the workplace
   • Promoting cultural shifts that value caregiving and domestic work as important contributions to society, regardless of gender. These aren’t just “women’s issues” despite various policies pitched as such over the last 15 years.
     
     
6. Corporate Leadership and Accountability
   • Encouraging (should that read mandating?) corporate boards and executives to prioritise gender diversity and pay equity as strategic business imperatives.
   • Holding companies accountable for their progress on closing the gender pay gap through public reporting and disclosure requirements.
     
     
7. Public Awareness and Advocacy
   • Raising awareness about the gender pay gap through public campaigns, media coverage, and educational initiatives
   • Supporting advocacy groups and organisations working to advance gender equality in the workforce.
     

Addressing the gender pay gap requires sustained effort and collaboration across government, businesses, civil society, non-profits and individuals.  If you’re a manager or leader, call out and fix inequity whenever you see it. Paying women equally is not complicated. If you’re a board member, press for greater transparency, set the bar higher and focus on embedding strategic initiatives rather than relying on the good will of the talented few.  And for the women who have blamed themselves for not getting paid as much as a male peer, start blaming and challenging the system instead. It’s only by implementing a range of strategies that address systemic issues that we can all work towards achieving a more equitable future for all.

Because when women win, we all win!

LIKED THIS? WANT MORE?

• The Gender Gap & Alcohol Consumption
• Why Conference Planning Committees need to Consider Gender Diversity