UNE continues working on gender pay equity as a key component of working towards workplace gender equality. The gender pay gap is the difference between the average earnings for men and women, expressed as a percentage of men's average earnings.
Many factors impact on this, including:
- conscious and unconscious discrimination and bias in hiring and pay decisions;
- women and men working in different industries and different jobs, with female-dominated industries and jobs attracting lower wages;
- high rates of part-time work for women;
- women’s greater time out of the workforce for caring responsibilities impacting career progression and opportunities; and
- women’s disproportionate share of unpaid caring and domestic work.
Source: https://www.wgea.gov.au/the-gender-pay-gap
Following the 2022-23 reporting period, UNE has made some progress in reducing the gender pay gap, while some actions remain outstanding and progress in a few has reversed.
In the 2023-24 reporting period, the gender pay gap at UNE is 11.2%, which is a 1.7% improvement from UNE’s 2022-23 gender pay gap. The gender pay gap in senior management roles has decreased from 7% to 3.3%; however, it has significantly increased for staff in key management roles (staff reporting to the Vice-Chancellor) from 13.4% to 30.3%.
- In 2024, we have:
- revised the UNE Equity, Diversity and Equity Rule and developed associated procedures, affirming our commitment to gender equality and asking the UNE community to use our Inclusive Language Guide;
- established a range of policies in relation to Safer Communities, including the Respectful Behaviours at UNE Policy and Procedure.
- re-established the Diversity Advisory Committee as an Equity Committee with representative membership, explicit responsibilities for reporting on gender equality matters and improved oversight and reporting pathways;
- consulted, developed and published a Belonging@UNE Action Plan;
- engaged all Senior Executive and UNE Council members to complete WHS Due Diligence Training;
- engaged Acumen Global Partners to undertake a Values and Behaviours Project, which includes the co-development of Enabling Behaviours Guidelines;
- held Full Stop Australia gender-based violence and positive duty training sessions; and
- published a new Selection Panel Training course with sections on unconscious bias and equity considerations.
- In 2025, we aim to:
- complete a deep dive into our recruitment practices, templates and policies to ensure equitable, inclusive and accessible recruitment practices;
- close the gender pay gap in senior executive personnel;
- seek UNE Council approval for amendments to the Gender Representation on Decision-Making and Advisory Committees Policy to increase requirements for minimum female representation and that of other equity groups;
- publish a Flexible Working Toolkit, following approval of the upcoming Enterprise Bargaining Agreements; and
- assess findings from casual staff in the 2024 Engagement Survey to inform future actions through the Equity Committee.
