Headline: Women’s Wages in Australia Stucked at 19% Lower, Creating a ‘Gender Discrimination Tax’Headline: Women’s Wages in Australia Stucked at 19% Lower, Creating a ‘Gender Discrimination Tax’ Subheadline: Corporate training hindering women’s advancement, research reveals. Body: A study by diversity expert Michelle Redfern found that Australian women face a “Gender Discrimination Tax” of 19%, meaning they effectively work an average of nine years of their careers for free compared to male colleagues. The report also highlighted that Australian corporate training is designed to hinder women’s progress, with two-thirds of women stating that their leaders’ coaching and mentoring skills are lacking. According to Redfern, the lack of investment in developing women’s leadership skills through targeted training and mentoring results in talented individuals leaving companies for competitors. The Advancing Women program, launched by Redfern, aims to fill the leadership training gap by providing online and face-to-face learning, bootcamps, coaching, and mentoring circles. The program seeks to address the systemic barriers women face in the workplace and equip them with the skills and knowledge to earn promotions. Call to action: Redfern emphasizes the need for companies to address the gender pay gap, accelerate women’s promotions, and abolish the “Gender Discrimination Tax.” Key facts: * Women’s wages in Australia remain 19% lower than men’s. * This gap means women work nine years of their careers for free compared to men. * Australian corporate training hinders women’s advancement. About Michelle Redfern: Michelle Redfern is a renowned diversity, equity, and inclusion strategist who works to close the gender gap in leadership. She advises organizations and supports women leaders in advancing their careers. Contact information: Michelle Redfern [email protected] +61 409 882 599 www.michelleredfern.com
Michelle Redfern
Women’s wages in Australia remain stubbornly stuck at 19 per cent lower than men’s – ‘Gender Discrimination Tax’ is being created
New research reveals Australian corporate training is designed to hinder women’s advancement
MELBOURNE, Australia, July 8, 2024, Women in Australia’s workforce are effectively taxed at a median extra rate of 19 per cent for their work compared to their male colleagues, according to diversity, equality and inclusion specialist and campaigner Michelle Redfern. The discrepancy means women are working an average of nine years of their careers for free compared to their male colleagues.
“Study after study shows that there is a persistent gender pay gap in the Australian labour market. Now is the time to face the truth: a discriminatory tax on women’s employment,” she said.
“Worse still, my research shows that almost all women feel blocked in their attempts to make a difference through promotion, due to a lack of targeted internal training, coaching and mentoring. Two-thirds (66%) say their leaders’ coaching and mentoring skills are poor to non-existent.”
She added: “If women had been unionised as a gender, this unfair discrepancy would have been eliminated years ago. As it stands, progress towards workplace equality is painfully and punishingly slow, bound by opaque policies and weak targets.”
A global analysis by the Pew Research Center found that while women make up 54% of the global workforce, they are a minority at all levels, from entry-level manager to CEO.
Michelle Redfern’s organization, michelleredfern.com, focuses on advocacy, education and self-help learning with the sole purpose of closing the gender gap in leadership. Her analysis shows that at the executive level, women experience less than a third of corporate board members as women, according to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA).
“If companies don’t invest in developing their women with the strategic, financial and business (BQ) skills they need to get ahead, they risk losing talented women to competitors. I see many opportunities to accelerate their progress.”
The Advancing Women program is designed to fill this leadership training gap and equip women to navigate a workplace system that is still fundamentally stacked against them. The program consists of online and face-to-face learning, bootcamps, customized coaching, and mentoring circles. The popular Lead to Soar Women’s Summits are designed to train women aspiring to leadership positions and build critical business skills, and provide them with the knowledge and tools to earn the right to be promoted.
“What worries me most is the implication that women’s work is 19 percent less valuable than that of their male counterparts. That is not the case and it is absurd that in the 45 years of the average career, women work for nine years for free compared to their male counterparts. It is time to accelerate the promotion of women, pay them fairly and abolish the ‘GDT’.”
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Key Facts:
Women’s wages in Australia remain stubbornly stuck at 19 per cent lower than men’s – ‘Gender Discrimination Tax’ is being created
New research reveals Australian corporate training is designed to hinder women’s advancement
According to diversity, equality and inclusion specialist and campaigner Michelle Redfern, women in the Australian labour market pay an average additional tax rate of 19 per cent for their work compared to their male counterparts.
This difference means that women work nine years of their careers for free, compared to their male colleagues.
About us:
About Michelle Redfern
Michelle Redfern is a globally recognized diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategist dedicated to closing the global gender gap in leadership. She advises organizations in the business and sports sectors on the development and implementation of DEI strategies and works directly with women leaders to advance their careers.
Contact details:
Michelle Redfern
[email protected]
Author: The Leadership Compass
More information: www.michelleredfern.com
+61 409 882 599
