Australian broadcasting’s ‘harmful’ gender pay gap at 21.8% [report]
![](https://radiotoday.com.au/wp-content/uploads/shutterstock_1015326595-1.jpg)
A study of the Australian’s radio, TV and film industries has found that a 21.8% gender pay gap exists, while 80% of radio presenters are male.
The University Of South Australia study found “entrenched gender and diversity imbalance” at senior levels.
While Breakfast radio reaches 86% of Australians over 14 years of age, women over 45 are most absent from on-air roles.
Although women do outnumber men in radio journalist gigs, 9.8% of male journalists earn more than $144K, compared to just 1.2% of females.
The study warned that if things stay the way they are, there is a danger of “predominately male, middle-aged, white workforce projecting their views on Australia”.
To conduct the study, University of SA researchers applied a quantitative analysis of gender diversity variables to custom data sets of 2011 and 2016 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census data for Film, TV and Radio employment.
The study also found that Australian patterns of broadcast employment were replicated globally.
“On the surface, there may seem to be diversity, especially in terms of gender, but when it comes to seniority and job security this is certainly not the case,” said lead author Professor Susan Luckman.
“Men still overwhelming dominate the senior roles in film, television and radio. This has clear implications for a diversity of stories and voices.”
Yep, definitely a gender pay gap in radio when the male breakfast announcer at a regional commercial station gets around $45,000 a year plus 15% shift penalty for less than half the shift and 9.5% super while the female breakfast announcer at the ABC just up the road gets over $80,000 a year plus 15% shift penalty for the entire shift and 15.4% super …
Hey @CJ,
That’s not a fair comparison at all. ABC jocks make way more than their commercial radio counterparts. Try comparing jocks from similar markets next time champ.
Josh it’s not just a “similar market, it’s the same market, but I agree it’s “not a fair comparison” between commercial radio and the overpaid in the ABC – exactly the same as these kinds of studies that this article refers to … all kinds of vague allegations but no specifics … like market size, length and quality of experience, etc …
What rubbish, there are many women who earn more than their male counterparts in similar roles $$$$$$$$$