Archived Industrial News: October 2008

Inquiry asks why women are paid less than men

The ANF recently responded to a federal government inquiry into pay equity and associated issues related to increasing female participation in the workforce. The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment and Workplace Relations inquiry into pay equity will examine why women workers continue to be paid less than their male counterparts, even when they have the same level of experience and perform the same work.

Nursing is a female dominated occupation with males comprising less than 8% of the total national workforce. Nursing is also part of a female dominated industry broadly described as health and welfare services. Research confirms that the degree of gender segregation in an occupation, industry or workplace has a significant influence on the wage rates of women and men. The relative contribution of different factors leading to differences in wage levels suggests segregation of work penalised women. These results showed that women employed in industries that were close to 100% female dominated earned 32% less per hour than women with otherwise identical characteristics working in male dominated industries. Segregation by occupation resulted in differences of up to 15%. Nurses suffer at both levels.

The undervaluing of women’s work has always been a critical factor in many battles for fair wages and conditions for nurses. Nursing work remains undervalued despite many wage cases and industrial campaigns. The history of industrial regulation of nursing has been characterised as having the arguments in support of equity and fairness constrained by industrial tribunals and funding bodies. The history of the establishment and maintenance of federal award wages and conditions is significant because it reveals that industrial tribunals have continually refused to link nursing wages and conditions with comparable work. And this has disadvantaged nurses.

The nature, size and distribution of the industry and profession of nursing has also placed limits on the adjustment of nurses’ wages because the issue of cost has repeatedly been a major consideration; often regardless of other factors attached to the valuation of nursing work. The fact that nurses are the largest single occupational group within the health system has also often limited the increases that may be available under an award or an agreement. Despite being highly regarded by the community at large, nurses are chronically undervalued by employers and governments.

It will be interesting to examine the findings and recommendations of this inquiry and what changes, if any, take place. It is more than a little sad that in the 21st century we are still considering the reasons why women in the workforce are seen to be worth less than their male counterparts. A copy of the ANF submission to the inquiry is available here.

Nick Blake
ANF Senior Federal Industrial Officer