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Women who do the same job as men should be paid the
same, and barriers to their greater participation in
the workforce must be addressed.
Leader of the State Opposition, Will Hodgman, has
used International Women’s Day to draw attention to
the fact that inequity still exists in the workforce
for women.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that
the average weekly wage for an Australian male, in
trend terms, was $1014 in November last year,
compared with $665 for women.
In Tasmania, the average weekly wage for a male was
$847 compared with $598 for women.
Many women work in traditionally lower-paying
sectors, such as retail trade, and for fewer hours.
Mr. Hodgman has made improved productivity a key
part of his plan for Tasmania’s future, which
includes ensuring there are greater opportunities
for women to have highly-skilled and paid jobs.
Some of the barriers that need to be addressed
include availability of child care, wage relativity,
flexibility of hours, and the “boys club” mentality
that still prevails in some traditional
male-dominated workplaces.
“It was telling that at this week’s Government
Business Enterprise hearings, for example, almost
all the board chairpersons, chief executives and
senior advisers were men,” Mr Hodgman said.
The State Opposition is forming a women’s
consultative committee to provide input to policy
development in this area.
Further information:
Georgia Warner 0418 564 073
Ref…womenmar801gw
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