‘We still have work to do’: ARN addresses gender pay gap after Jackie O’s KIIS walkout
ARN has responded to a walk-out staged by Jackie ‘O’ Henderson yesterday, after it was revealed that KIIS FM had the worst gender pay gap in the radio industry.
On Tuesday during their daily show, Kyle Sandilands confirmed the news, saying: “Southern Cross Austereo has a disgraceful 5.9% pay gap. At Nova and Smooth FM it is even worse, 6%. But, unfortunately, the number one spot is at KIIS FM – at the top of the tree with a 12% pay gap disparity.”
Sandilands then brought on one of the show’s producers (labelled ‘Intern’ Pete Deppeler on the show, due to his initial role on the programme) and another female KIIS staffer, who revealed that Deppeler was paid double what his female colleague took home.
“Are you freaking joking?” Jackie O asked. “Why is Peter getting that much money? I’m so angry about that, it makes my blood boil.”
Jackie O then staged a live walk off with other female workers. “We have all gone”, she declared.
In a statement given to Mumbrella this morning, ARN chief people officer, Angela Ewers, conceded that the network has some work to do.
“ARN is active in creating an inclusive workplace, as recognised in the Diversity Council of Australia’s 2023 Inclusive Employer Index,” the statement reads.
“Over the past three years, ARN has made progress in reducing gender pay disparities by implementing a robust, companywide remuneration framework that ensures individuals doing the same role are paid equally.
“Like many companies, our gender pay gap is primarily driven by structural factors and we acknowledge we still have work to do to improve the gender balance within senior leadership, executive and board positions.”
It comes after the Workplace Gender Equality Agency published the gender pay gap for more than 5,000 Australian companies for the first time in history this week. The base salary pay gap between the sexes was 14.5%, while the total pay gap was 19%, once super, bonuses, and all those extras were included.
Meanwhile, Kyle and Jackie are slated to debut on Melbourne radio next month. Although no date has been set, ARN chief Ciaran Davis told Mumbrella last week that the show will launch in the Victorian city “sooner rather than later”.
“We have started the pre-marketing down there,” Davis revealed. “We have started the on-air promos, we have introduced them, in terms of some of the content that they do.”
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The pay gap does not exist due to perceived sexism. It exists because men and women make different professional choices in their life, nothing else and nothing more
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When you reputedly pay the 2 hosts a combined salary of 20M frankly I am surprised there is much $ left to pay anyone. As long as they get their obscene pay each month, in their selfish world that is all that counts.
Walk outs have been a trademark of this show for a very long time. The theatre OMG.
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The data does not consider hours worked, tenure at the company, and the separation of part-time worker data from full-time. The data is too low resolution to make any conclusions of significance
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Gender pay gap is a myth.
It is against the law to pay a woman less than a man for the same job, same qualifications simply because she is a woman.
Nuances are,
1. A lot of Jobs, eg carpenter, Electrician, Nurse and many other jobs have a minimum wage or celery to reflect that qualification, however paying beyond that minimum because say for reward of productivity is between employer and employee.
2. You cannot allow this type of data to be received by just comparing what men earn as a group compared to what women earn in a group and base it on the averages, men do earn more under this type of analysis.
3. Women don’t want equality, just activism for their cause, they don’t care that women are payed the same prize money at the Australian open despite playing a maximum of 3 sets, compared to the men that play a maximum of 5.
4. No men b*tched about Rhonda Rousey getting payed much more than the male mma fighters because we understand that Rhonda brought in the revenue when at the hight of her career.
It sounds like just a political stunt by Jackie O to regurgitate the same mythology, without first examining the nuances that is involved.
If there gender base discrimination in pay for the exact same job then fine, it is a legal matter then.
However radio stations are about ratings and surely there are variations to renumeration to radio hosts based on this alone.
If a male radio host is bringing better ratings from his radion station then from a female counterpart from a competiting radio station, why should the female be paid the same for example, if it were vise versa same deal. Just saying?
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Miss Manners, yes in some circumstances sure. But the example that is mentioned in this article it suggests that both the male and female are doing the same role, yet are paid very differently – that is a gender pay gap.
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Jackie O is on $10m a year and storms out over pay disparity….you couldn’t make this sh*t up.
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I agree, I have worked in a number of places where it’s always the single men who are there to close the business or answer the phones or whatever – never the woman, they always have to pick up children, look after hubby or the parents, always an excuse to leave early. Why should they be paid the same wage when someone works harder and longer hours? It’s always the woman who get in late (always an excuse) and leave early. They have time off to have a family and then want to come back part time. Why should they be paid the same money?
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Not commenting on the subject matter, but I think very appropriate choice of words: “a walk-out staged by Jackie ‘O’ Henderson” – every time either of them “stage” a walk-out, it’s suddenly on all of the news sites, publicising their show. Very clever
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The gender pay gap is very real and I can attest to the challenges we face every day to earn an extra $10k that our male counterparts take for granted.
You go Jackie, City Gals up!
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What an absolute joke she is.
Why didn’t she storm out of the room when she was negotiating her $10m annually.
Or, why didn’t Jackie compare her salary with Intern Pete’s, and then Pete could have staged a walk off in disgust.
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The irony of the most paid person in Radio “Staging” a walk out for the underpaid female producers. If they didn’t have so many they could pay them fairer or how about not paying the on air “talent” an exorbitant salary and pay the producers better. I’m sure “Pete’s” tenure has been longer. Another K & J generated publicity stunt.
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Of course this is no surprise from SCA, they have always paid the boys more than females, when SCA owned Channel 9 in Adelaide in the late 90’s it was a total boys club from the board down, why would their attatude toward gender have changed. This can’t be a surpise surely, but now that they have been exposed something might be done….Well done to Jackie O and her colleagues for standing together and making a stance on this very important issue. This is the best report to come out in years to really highlight what is going on with the gender pay gap.
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Yes, you are 100% correct. However, the gender pay gap argument is about more: asking why typically female-dominated industries (e.g. nursing) are paid less than typically male-dominated industries (e.g. mining) and why more women are in part-time or unstable work than men.
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Maybe Jack O should make up the pay difference out of her pay !! Or everyone working there should get the same pay as her !!
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Poor Jackie. She really must be struggling on her meagre wage. I really feel sorry for her.
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Ahahahhaahaha imagine actually believing this. Pathetic.
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Dear Kate, this story is about ARN not SCA. Are you confused??
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As a woman I do care about being paid equally and not just activism. What a stupid comment
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They get way overpaid. With all the poverty and lack of money how come all these so called celebrities can be paid this ridiculous amount of money. They are no different from anyone else. People are struggling and she is still winging what a pathetic spoilt brat. Get a life
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If they got paid to look after their own children would it be equal?
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Maybe the men could start picking up the children or caring for their parents so the women can do less of the unpaid work that keeps society going?
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