ECU Vice-Chancellor Professor Steve Chapman said he was proud to be part of an organisation at the forefront of improving gender equality in the workplace.
On Friday, 25 August 2023, ECU recognises Equal Pay Day, an initiative of the Workplace Gender and Equality Agency (WGEA) which continues to highlight gender pay discrepancies in Australia.
With the most recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Agency used the latest Average Weekly Earnings trend series data to calculate that the current national gender pay gap has dropped 0.8 percentage points over the last 6 months to 13.3 per cent for full-time employees.
This is a decrease in the full-time average weekly earnings gap between women and men down to $253 per week.
Although the decrease is trending in the right direction, there's still work to do.
ECU at the forefront of change
ECU is committed to achieving gender equality and ensuring career opportunities are available to everyone. This includes equal recognition for women, men and those from gender-diverse backgrounds.
ECU Vice-Chancellor Professor Steve Chapman said he was proud to be part of an organisation at the forefront of promoting equitable working arrangements and improving gender equality in the workplace.
"It is vital that leaders recognise that there is still work to be done and to remain committed to not only addressing the gender pay gap, but in providing flexible work environments that provide staff with the opportunity to grow their career," Professor Chapman said.
"ECU remains committed to actively addressing issues and encouraging inclusivity and equity across the University, whether that be monitoring hiring and promotion processes or reviewing staff remuneration, we are dedicated to breaking down barriers to gender equality."
SAGE Athena Swan
As part of our commitment to gender equality, ECU is proud to be one of the first institutions to have received the inaugural Science in Australia Gender Equity Limited (SAGE) Athena Swan Bronze Award in 2018.
The Athena Swan Charter is an international institutional accreditation program that supports the recruitment, retention and promotion of women and gender-diverse groups and is working to raise awareness of the value of gender equity, diversity and inclusion across the higher education and research sectors.
Institutions are awarded an Athena Swan Bronze Award for establishing a solid foundation to drive transformational change.
On 4 August 2022, the University was also acknowledged nationally with the inaugural SAGE Cygnet Award, the first such award in Australia that recognises an organisation's progress and impact in addressing a specific barrier to gender equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Following this achievement in July 2023, the University received its second Award for work to promote support systems for the promotion of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM).
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Regional Futures) Professor Cobie Rudd, who leads the Athena Swan program said that ECU strives to eliminate both systemic and structural roadblocks in working towards gender equality, diversity, and inclusion.
"It is critical that we maintain momentum, taking renewed action in building a progressive workplace that ensures equal opportunities for everyone to participate and to be recognised for what they bring to the table," she said.
"Organisations must be honest and transparent about their shortcomings, shifting focus onto areas where they underperform.
"With Western Australia continuing to hold the largest gender pay gap in the country, ECU acknowledges there is still a lot of work to be done with a key segment of the workforce being financially and systemically undervalued in their talent, skills, and contributions." Professor Rudd said.
ECU is committed to striving for gender equality and continuing to work toward the Athena Swan Silver Award accreditation pathway.
Find out more about Equal Pay Day and the national gender pay gap on the WGEA website or for more information about ECU's commitment to gender equality, visit our Gender Equality webpage.
