Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) Director, Helen Conway, is calling on employers to take a long, hard look at their remuneration practices following the release of figures that show female graduates are paid up to 14.3 per cent less than their male counterparts.

"Graduate Careers Australia figures demonstrate that, from day one, female employees are behind the eight-ball across a range of industries when it comes to salaries, earning an average of $2000 less per year than males," Ms Conway said.

"Businesses need to take a close look at their recruitment practices to stop this discrimination and ensure they attract and retain the best employees, regardless of gender."

Ms Conway said discrimination may be embedded in recruitment practices and this could be identified by conducting a simple analysis of salaries by gender for equivalent positions.

"There should be greater transparency around salaries for graduate jobs. Graduates deserve to know that what they are being paid is fair and not influenced by gender," she said.

EOWA recommends companies conduct regular remuneration audits to identify any pay gaps that may exist in their organisations.

EOWA is committed to helping businesses ensure all employees are paid equal remuneration for work of equal or comparable value. The Agency has a range of tools to help businesses establish whether they have a problem and adjust policies, processes and procedures that may incorporate gender bias.

"The gender pay gap continues to be a problem and this is unacceptable in 2012," Ms Conway said.
"Making sure graduate salaries are equitable will begin to tackle this problem. Let's give all people a fair go right from the start."

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