The gender pay gap

It is hardly revelatory that men earn higher incomes than women than women in Australia. The 2011 Australian census confirms this, and provides the opportunity to break down the salary gap by geographical area.

The income difference between males and females, by geographical area

The chart above looks at ABS Statistical Area Level 4 (SA4) regions in Australia, and provides a visual representation of the equivalent salaries in each. So, for example, where males in the Latrobe - Gippsland area earn an average of $771 each week, women earn $500 per week.

The top five and bottom five areas by male-to-female income ratio. Inner city Sydney has the closest gap between males and females, and the area around Mackay in Queensland has the largest gap.

The chart above shows the top five and the bottom five areas in Australia for the ratio of male-to-female incomes. Male residents in inner city Sydney earn 1.23 times the income compared with females in the same area. Inner city Melbourne has a similarly close ratio at 1.25. Two other areas of inner Sydney plus the New South Wales Mid North Coast complete the five most balanced areas in Australia. The clear trend here is that most of the areas here are highly urbanised, high density areas. These are also areas generally dominated by service sector work.

At the other end of the scale, the area around Mackay in Queensland has the largest ratio. Men earn 1.87 times the income compared with women in this area. Mandurah, Bunbury and the Outback areas of Western Australia and the Fitzroy region of Queensland round out the top five areas by gender income inequality. The main trait shared by these areas is that most have significant mining activities occurring within their boundaries.