Gender Pay Gap Taskforce

The South Australian Gender Pay Gap Taskforce was established in September 2022 to examine the causes of the gender pay gap and recommend practical, evidence-based actions to help reduce and eventually eliminate it. The Taskforce brought together representatives from different sectors and consulted with stakeholders across the state. Its work included community consultation, publishing an Interim Report, running a social media campaign to increase awareness of the gender pay gap, and releasing a Final Report in November 2024.

What is the gender pay gap?

The gender pay gap is an internationally established measure of women’s economic position in comparison to men and measures the difference between average earnings of women and men in the workforce. The gender pay gap is the result of social and economic factors that combined reduce women’s earning capacity over their lifetime including:

• Conscious and unconscious discrimination and bias in hiring and pay decisions;
• Women and men working in different industries and different jobs, with female-dominated industries and jobs attracting lower wages;
• Lack of workplace flexibility to accommodate caring and other responsibilities, especially in senior roles;
• High rates of part-time work for women;
• Women’s greater time out of the workforce for caring responsibilities impacting career progression and opportunities; and
• Women’s disproportionate share of unpaid caring and domestic work. [Source: Workplace Gender Equality Agency]

As of November 2025, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that the gender pay gap in South Australia is 7.3%, down from 10.1% in November 2024 and 7.8% in November 2022. This gap has lasting impacts on women’s economic security. The gap starts from the moment a woman enters the workforce and accumulates over a working life to a significant wealth gap by retirement.

Closing the gender pay gap is an important step for South Australia to become a fair and inclusive state in which women and girls can equally and actively participate in the economy and all aspects of community life.

Video and social media campaign

In November 2024 the Department of Human Services released a 6-minute video with the members of the Taskforce discussing some of the most important aspects of the gender pay gap and ran a social media campaign to raise public awareness on this important issue.

Interim report

In April 2024, the Taskforce released its Interim Report (PDF 374.3 KB) informed by insights gained from their interviews and research, and Taskforce members’ experience and deliberations.

Final report

The  Taskforce delivered its final report to the government in November 2024. The report notes economic inequality as a cause and consequence of the gender pay gap and the urgent need to address the gender pay gap in South Australia to remove some of the key barriers faced by women.

The report identified 3 key areas of focus:

1. The needs of South Australia employers
2. The need for South Australian data and research on gender inequality
3. The role of the public sector.

The government is continuing to advance a range of commitments under the Women’s Equality Blueprint 2023–2026 to drive gender equality including a focus on increasing the participation of women in male-dominated industries.

We thank the members of the SA Gender Pay Gap Taskforce for their commitment, expertise and advice towards addressing the gender pay gap in South Australia.

Gender Pay Gap Taskforce  Final Report 2024 (PDF 872.7 KB)

For alternative versions of this document, please email dhssagenderpaygaptaskforce@sa.gov.au