Same same… or different?
Unless you’ve had your head in the sand since last Friday you’d know that the EOWA has released its Top Earners Report. Details of the Gender Income Distribution of Top Earners in ASX200 Companies featured in all of the major newspapers and show, amongst other things, that women hold only 7% of top earner positions in the ASX200.
That the female median is salary only 58% of the male median salary, and less than the male median salary of top earners in nine out of ten industry sectors, is a telling sign that women have a long way to go before pay equity becomes a reality. But the question on my mind is: do women really care?
I mean, have you actually read the full report? It’s hardly an epic with only 16 pages to flick through. And if you’ve read the report, have you tabled it with your leadership team to determine what – if anything – your workplace response will be?
Maybe it comes down to different measures of success. And sure, maybe there is something more sinister at play. But maybe the blokes are earning more because they actually appear to want it more: they are more hungry, more determined and more likely to succeed because as my friend Susan says, “the harder you work, the luckier you become”. So maybe it’s not a case of apples for apples after all.
I’d be interested in your view on this issue. Is pay equity a priority for women; or is it something we’ll get around to, one day. That might explain the glacial pace of change that Anna McPhee refers to in the EOWA report.
Over to you.