Women Do Two-Thirds Of The World's Work For 5% Of The Income
13 February 2003
  • Working women earn as little as 30% of male earnings. The pay gap is biggest in developing countries. In Europe, women earn 73% of male earnings.

  • Women make up the majority of the world’s poor and are the hardest hit by increasing inequality and the erosion of public services through globalisation.

  • Women are over-represented in low-paid, part-time, casual, temporary, informal and precarious work, including out-sourced and home-based employment.

  • More than 20% of the world’s women live on less than $1US per day.

  • Women aged over 65 are half as likely as men to receive income from pensions.

  • Women generally occupy positions in paid work with little or no authority.

  • Women do most of the unpaid domestic and caring work in the world economy.

  • Women and girls are widely exploited in the sex industry.

  • More than half of working-age women are in the paid labour force, but despite the increase in women’s labour market participation, barriers to equality remain.

  • Half of working women are employed in the less secure services sector, with the highest rates in developed nations. Women hold less than half of manufacturing jobs in 109 out of 156 countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia and South Asia, agriculture is the most important source of women’s employment.

The top 5 priorities for working women internationally:

1. Higher pay (52%),
2. Job security (37%)
3. Respect at work (26%)
4. Retirement security (25%)
5. Control over hours (24%)
(ICFTU survey of 13,500 women)

In Australia women on average earn 67% of male earnings:

  • Allowing for part-time employment, Australian women earn only 81% of male earnings, or $171 less per week. (Source: ABS 6310.0 Aug 2001)
  • Two-thirds of working women in Australia are denied any paid maternity leave.
  • Women hold over half the casual jobs and over 70% of part-time jobs in Australia.
  • Women occupy only 3.2% of senior executive positions in Australia.
  • Women are twice as likely to be low-paid as men in Australia, with 45% of women, compared to 22% of men, earning less than $500 per week.

Even in female dominated industries, Australian women are paid less than men:

  • Retail – 85 % of male earnings
  • Finance & Insurance – 56%
  • Education – 81%
  • Health/Community Services – 76%