Out of sight, out of pocket.
Equal Pay Day, 2025: The ‘Receipts’
This Equal Pay Day, we've got the ‘receipts’ on Australia’s intersectional pay gap progress. And let’s just say, the account is well and truly overdue…
On August 19, Australia will mark another Equal Pay Day, representing the 50 additional days women must work to earn what men earned by June 30. In 2025, that's $242.30 less each week, $12,600 less each year.
But these figures, as unacceptable as they are, still only tell us part of the story. And this year, a landmark new report proves it…
New Report Reveals What Many Have Always Known
For too long, the intersectional cost of pay inequity has been hidden in the fine print of Australia’s incomplete gender pay gap data measurement and reporting. But this year, a groundbreaking new report from Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA), in collaboration with the Centre for Indigenous People and Work (CIPW), sheds new light on the gender pay gaps experienced by First Nations, migrant, and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women in Australia.
The report’s findings confirm what many community advocates have long suspected: the ‘gaps within the gap’ are not only very real, they are staggering.
So, what do this year’s #EqualPayDay receipts show?
But – The Account Is Still Overdue
While this new data represents a crucial reporting milestone, significant gaps still remain. Women with disability, LGBTQIA+ people, and the experiences of those with multiple intersecting identities are still invisible in our national pay gap reporting. And yet, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) continues to only report on aggregated data, which obscures the lived realities of so many.
*Note: We acknowledge the limitations of the term 'CALD' in accurately representing the diverse experiences of racially marginalised and minoritised communities. The grouping of varied demographics under this acronym rarely allows us to understand nuances across different communities. We have used the term here to mirror the report findings.
The Bottom Line? We Can't Afford to Wait
Existing within systems where money equals power, these pay gaps represent much more than just lost income. For many, they also represent a ‘gap’ in access: to safety, autonomy, and survival. Each day that we continue to delay making intersectional gender pay gap reporting a reality, we leave entire communities out of sight, out of pocket and out of the solutions.
Feeling Shortchanged? Take Action This Equal Pay Day
In 2024, we added our voice to a long list of advocates calling for better data. This year, while some of those calls have been answered, there’s still a long way to go. Join us in continuing to call for meaningful action on pay equity this Equal Pay Day and beyond:
💌 Join the Call:
If you haven't already, co-sign our open letter calling for mandatory intersectional pay gap reporting ➛
📑 Read the Full Report:
Explore JSA's groundbreaking findings and share them widely this Equal Pay Day ➛
📲 Share the ‘Receipts’:
Use ours, or make your own, and help amplify this year's Equal Pay Day message via the campaign social media toolkit ➛
📣 Keep the Conversation Going:
Bring these discussions to your workplace, community, and networks ➛
