The gender pay gap in Australia will be exacerbated by the position the federal government has taken with respect to increasing the minimum wage, according to the Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR).
The group has expressed concern about aspects of the government submission which shares the view that most low-wage jobs are temporary. Adopting the view that poorly paid work is temporary overlooks key groups, such as middle-aged women, single mothers and migrant women who experience less wage progression on the whole, the ALHR said.
“The government’s misplaced assumptions about the transitory nature of low-paid work totally ignore the gendered nature of employment mobility and systemic discrimination that women may face.”