The nation’s gender pay gap has narrowed to 13%, from 13.3% just as the country reflects on the Matildas World Cup effort and what it will do for women’s pay in sports.
According to the ABS Average Weekly wages data, Australian women now earn a full-time weekly wage of $1,686 compared to $1,938.30 for men, reflecting a gap of $252 compared to $253 in the March quarter.
The results come on the day after the Matilda’s disappointing loss to England in the FIFA World Cup semi finals.
The issue of the gender pay gap in women’s sport has been a hot topic for decades but has arguably reached an inflection point in Australia as the host nation of the FIFA Cup, along with New Zealand, boasts sold out stadiums, record TV ratings and a Matildas jersey that’s now more valuable than that of the Socceroos.
The biggest challenge to closing the gender pay gap has been changing corporate and public opinion on the value of women’s sport. As it stands FIFA is offering a total of $US150 million for the Women’s World Cup, compared to $US440 million for the Men’s World Cup last summer.
But with FIFA ticket sales at record levels, this could well be the start of a seismic shift in how society values women’s sport, particularly if nations like England are successful and win the entire tournament. This could indeed be a game changer as UK and European clubs are already investing billions in women’s sport – football in particular.
That said, social change of this magnitude will take time to manifest as it is realised in younger generations and what’s needed is ongoing momentum at a grassroots level for women’s club sport, to help change hearts and minds for the long-term.
Financy writes about gender financial equality, diversity and inclusion. We also provide the software, Impacter which makes DEI performance easy and accessible for business. We also publish the quarterly Financy Women’s Index report which measures timeframes to equality in Australia. To stay up to date with us, subscribe to our newsletter.
