The second Workplace Gender Equity Agency (WGEA) scorecard on gender equality in the public sector shows that the public sector gender pay gap was reduced by more than half, falling from 2022’s rate of 13.5% to 6.4% in 2023. By comparison, the private sector gender pay gap for 2023-2024 was assessed at 21.8%. In both sectors the pay gap is still in favour of men.
More than half of the gender pay gap in the public sector is accounted for by payments that are above base salary such as overtime, performance bonuses and superannuation payments – the value of these payments adds an average of $5,373 to the gap, indicating that these payments offer more financial reward to men than women.
The gender gap can be influenced by societal norms and stereotypes that place expectations on who is available to work overtime or non-traditional hours and who has more out-of-work commitments tied to care.
Although almost all public sector employers have policies in place for flexible work and parental leave, men only accounted for 11% of primary carer leave taken in 2023. The uptake of parental leave is heavily influenced by gender norms related to work and care. Increasing men’s uptake of part-time, flexible working arrangements and parental leave will improve gender equality and further reduce the gender pay gap.
Most employers have formal strategies in place to support gender equity overall, with the main focus of those strategies being on recruitment, training and development. Key areas that require more attention include promotion, talent identification and succession planning
The size and composition of the public sector impacts the analysis of the drivers of the gender pay gap. The Commonwealth public sector is smaller with most employers in the same industry (Public Administration and Safety), with almost 30% working for the two largest employers, while in the private sector only 5% of employees work for the two largest employers. Accordingly, results from the large public sector employers have the greatest impact on the sector’s total gender pay gap.
Overall, the report shows that progress is happening, but there is clearly still more work to be done. The increased focus on the Commonwealth public sector that arises with the publication of reports such as this will hopefully be a catalyst for future improvements across all sectors.
The WGEA gender pay gap report on private sector employers was published in March this year, with the results from individual employers with more than 100 employees available for public viewing.
Read more: Commonwealth Public Sector Gender Equality Scorecard | Key Employer Results From 2023 - May 2025