SBS beats ABC as gender pay gaps revealed
SBS is doing far better than the ABC in terms of the gender pay gap, according to public sector data released for the first time today.
The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has published the gender pay gaps for 120 Commonwealth public sector employers and two corporate groups, including the Reserve Bank, CSIRO, and the ATO, among others. Overall, the report found the public sector had lower pay gaps than the private sector.
Of particular interest to Mumbrella readers is the comparison between ABC and SBS. They both have a majority female workforce, at 54% (of 5,259 employees) and 53% (of 1,783 employees), respectively.
With with ABC, 46% of the its upper quartile (the top-paid quarter of employees) is made up of women, compared to SBS’ 50%. And on the other end, the ABC’s lower quartile is 67% female, while SBS’ is 60%.
These differences in quartile composition drive a much bigger gender pay gap at the ABC than SBS.
The median total remuneration gender pay gap at the ABC was 9.8% and base salary gender pay gap was 8.7%.
SBS had a total remuneration gap of 1.9% and base salary gap of 2.0%.
If we measure the ABC and SBS against their private sector media peers, they sit among those with the smallest gaps. See the graphic above for a ranking of selected media companies. According to the WGEA’s private sector gender pay gap report in March, Mamamia and The Guardian Australia lead media companies with negative total remuneration gender pay gaps, meaning they favour women.
SBS is next on the list, beating out Network Ten which sits at 5.4%.
Network Ten is followed by Pedestrian Group and Nine’s publishing arm at 8.1% and 8.9%, where the ABC then slots in with its 9.8%. Close behind is WA News at 9.9% and News Corp at 10.5%.
While the salaries of individual employers were not made public in this report — unlike in the commercial sector — the average total remuneration in the upper quartile was $124,000, and in the lower, $78,000.
Companies with 100-plus employees were measured across two metrics: the median pay gap between men and women for base salaries, and the median difference for the total amount of pay – once bonuses, super, commissions, overtime, and other perks are factored in.
In its employer statement, the ABC said it recognises the addressing the gender pay gap requires “ongoing, targeted action”. The broadcaster said it is committed to identifying and addressing the underlying drivers contributing to the gap.
“Addressing gender inequality and closing the pay gap will continue to be a strategic priority for the organisation. The ABC will maintain transparency and accountability and work towards achieving lasting and meaningful change.”
Meanwhile, SBS said in a statement that it has been working “diligently” to reduce its gap, and it is pleased to be “significantly under” the national median.
However, it also acknowledged that “this is a space that requires ongoing vigilance and action”, and said it remains committed.
Elsewhere in Wednesday’s report are the gender pay gaps of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
The ACMA, with women making up 56% of its 575-strong workforce, has median total remuneration and base salary gender pay gaps of 6.7%. It’s upper quartile is nearly equal, with a 49%/51% split in favour of men. Meanwhile it’s lower quartile has a 61%/39% split in favour of women.
The ACCC meanwhile follows the same path as Mamamia and The Guardian Australia with a marginally negative gender pay gap in both median total remuneration (-0.1%) and base salary (-0.5%). It has a total workforce of 1,635 people, 56% of whom are women.
The ACCC’s quartiles are more consistent, too. It’s upper has a 53%/47% split in favour of women, and its lower has a 54%/46%, also in favour of women.
Overall, 45% of employers in the Commonwealth public sector had a median gender pay gap within the desired range of plus or minus 5%.
That is significantly better than the private sector. According to the WGEA’s March data on the private sector, which included some of Australia’s largest agencies and media owners, just 21% of employers were within the ideal range of plus or minus 5%.
Mary Wooldridge
“The Commonwealth public sector has achieved gender-balance in the composition of the workforce, at managerial level and in the upper quartile of remuneration. This is a critical driver of the lower gender pay gaps reported today,” Mary Wooldridge, CEO of the WGEA, said in a media release on Wednesday.
“Pleasingly we have also seen large rises in the number of employers conducting a gender pay gap analysis, acting on the results and consulting with employees to understand their experience at work. These actions are crucial steps to help employers gain greater understanding of the drivers of their individual gender pay gaps and to implement relevant and evidence-informed actions to address them.”
One of the biggest drivers is flexible working arrangements, that allow women in particular to continue working full-time while meeting caring obligations. Wooldridge said this meant 76% of women in the public sector are full-time, compared to 43% in the private sector.
Despite the progress, Wooldridge said there are still areas for improvement.
“Workplace gender equality benefits everyone, so it is important that barriers for men are also addressed. With changes in access to parental leave now enacted, Commonwealth public sector employers need to work deliberately and strategically to drive cultural change that removes real or perceived penalties for taking time out for caring roles and ensure more men have confidence to take primary carer’s leave,” she said in the release.
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Lauren McNamara is the associate editor at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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