The gender pay gap in tertiary education

The release of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s 2023-24 data on the gender pay gap in organisations employing over 100 people – shows that the tertiary education sector does have a pay gap between the salaries of men and women (despite being a female dominated sector) but it is an average of 8.6% compared with the private sector average of 21.8%. Or as the WGEA puts it ” For every $1 on average a man makes, women earn 78c. Over the course of a year, that difference adds up to $28,425.” (Note also that data is not reported on public institutions.)

Gender pay gap in the Australian tertiary education sector (2023-24)

Here’s how various educational institutions and agencies measured up.

The university with the lowest gender pay gap was Torrens University Australia – just 4.2%.

Universities:

• Australian Catholic University 11.5%
• Australian National University 10.0%
• Avondale University 9.7%
• Bond University 18.3%
• Central Queensland University 11.4%
• Charles Darwin University 9.9%
• Charles Sturt University 10.1%
• Curtin University 9.0%
• Deakin University 8.0%
• Edith Cowan University 7.7%
• Federation University 13.5%
• Flinders University 11.8%
• Griffith University 10.3%
• James Cook University 12.0%
• La Trobe University 8.2%
• Macquarie University 10.9%
• Monash University 9.9%
• Murdoch University 12.8%
• Queensland University of Technology 6.5%
• RMIT University 6.7%
• Southern Cross University 9.9%
• Swinburne University of Technology 11.5%
• The University of Adelaide 16.7%
• The University of New England 11.2%
• The University of Newcastle 8.3%
• The University of Notre Dame Australia 17.8%
• The University of Queensland 10.3%
• The University of Wollongong 8.0%
• Torrens University Australia Limited 4.2%
• University of Canberra 6.9%
• University of Melbourne 10.3%
• University of New South Wales 7.5%
• University of South Australia 10.6%
• University of Southern Queensland 11.7%
• University of Sydney 7.4%
• University of Tasmania 6.2%
• University of Technology Sydney 8.8%
• University of the Sunshine Coast 10.9%
• University of Western Australia 10.4%
• Victoria University 8.6%
• Western Sydney University 8.3%

Other higher education institutions/organisations:

• Academies Australasia 17.5%
• Australia and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists 19.6%
• Australian College of Natural Medicine 0.4%
• Australian Institute of Business 1.7%
• Australian Institute of Management Education and Training 25.1%
• Edith Cowan College 0.4%
• Excelsia College 14.6%
• ICTHM Trust (ICMS – International College of Management- Sydney) 25.0%
• IDP Education 22.7%
• JMC Academy 4.6%
• Kaplan Australia 16.8%
• Kaplan Business School 26.6%
• Kaplan Higher Education (Murdoch College, The University of Adelaide College)  24.1%
• Melbourne Business School 18.4%
• Moore Theological College 34.7%
• Mulpha Education Group (partner with Southern Cross University in ‘The Hotel School Australia‘) 21.8%
• Navitas Australia 5.4%
• Navitas Professional Institute 7.2%
• Online Education Services 1.4%
• Open Universities Australia 12.9%
• RMIT Online 8.6%
• RMIT Training 3.8%
• Royal Australian College of Surgeons 34.5%
• Russo Higher Education 9.6%
• SAE Institute 6.3%
• National Institute of Dramatic Art 0.5%
• NextEd Group 0.6%
• RedHill Education 15.4%
• Royal Australian College of Physicians 22.2%
• Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians 17.6%
• Stanley International College 7.7%
• The College Of Law Limited 11.6%
• The Royal Australian College Of General Practitioners Limited 11.2%
• University Admissions Centre (NSW & ACT) 18.4%
• University of Canberra College – 5.7%
• UOWC Ltd (University of Wollongong College) -3.9%
• UNSW Global Pty Limited 4.4%
• UTS College 7.0%
• Western Sydney University Enterprises Pty Ltd (“The College”) 2.9%

Adult and Community Education, English Language, VET, Apprenticeships:

• Adelaide Training & Employment Centre Inc  -36.4%
• Apprenticeships Are Us -11.6%
• Apprenticeships Queensland 22.4%
• Automotive Institute of Technology -28.6%
• Career Employment Australia – 14.5%
• Career Employment Group -7.9%
• Central Highlands Group Training -8.5%
• CIT Solutions 5.0%
• DDLS Australia 22.3%
• Directions Workforce Solutions -17.3%
• Discover English 10.4%
• Djerriwarrh Employment & Education Services 0.9%
• Employ-Ease -10.9%
• ERGT Australia 17.0%
• Flight Training Adelaide 21.6%
• Gippsland Group Training 7.4%
• Gladstone Area Group Apprentices 40.4%
• Gradability 9.7%
• Grok Academy 10.0%
• Group Training South West -8.7%
• HGT Australia -6.8%
• ILSC (Brisbane) 3.3%
• IntoWork Australia 29.3%
• Jobs Australia -4.2%
• Kaplan Education (Kaplan Professional) 12.4%
• Macarthur Group Training 7.5%
• Macquarie Community College 3.4%
• Madec Australia -7.5%
• MEGT 20.9%
• Murray Mallee Training Company -4.4%
• Navitas English Services 3.7%
• Navitas Skilled Futures 8.6%
• NTHA Trainees and Apprentices -49.3%
• OCTEC -2.4%
• PEER Education Employment and Training -13.7%
• Pine Rivers Caboolture & Redcliffe Group Training Scheme 0.2%
• Plumbing & Paining Training Company -40.1%
• RACGP Training Services 13.8%
• Riverina Group Training and Employment 3.2%
• Safety Direct Solutions 6.4%
• Selmar Holdings -15.0%
• Skill Hire WA -34.0%
• St George and Sutherland Community College -4.3%
• St John Ambulance 7.3%
• STEPS Group Australia Limited 1.1%
• Strategix Training Group Pty Ltd 12.7%
• Sunraysia & Murray Group Training Limited -3.8%
• Sydney Training And Employment Ltd -39.1%
• The Electrotechnology Industry Group Training Company Limited -5.6%
• The French Beauty Academy 44.4%
• The Trustee for the Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment Unit Trust 10.4%
• Trainee & Apprentice Placement Service Inc -29.6%
• Training Alliance Group Australia 24.9%
• Verto Ltd 9.7%
• Work & Training Limited -4.3%
• Workers Educational Association – Hunter  8.4%
• Wyndham Community & Education Centre Inc -2.1%
• Zeal Futures -28.1%

Note: in highlighting the organisations with a gender pay gap favouring women, I am not suggesting this is a good or positive thing. All workers deserve to be paid fairly for the work they do.

It is to be hoped that this data collection and reporting by the WGEA will continue in future years so that progress by large Australian organisations, including educational institutions, towards achieving equality in the average remuneration for their employees can be seen and recognised. The following educational institutions deserve recognition already for the parity in which they value the women and men who work for them:

• Pine Rivers Caboolture & Redcliffe Group Training Scheme 0.2%
• Australian College of Natural Medicine 0.4%
• Edith Cowan College 0.4%
• National Institute of Dramatic Art 0.5%
• NextEd Group 0.6%
• Djerriwarrh Employment & Education Services 0.9%