Equality of wages in Australia is of high concern, and has been for a long period of time. On no account of Australia's history, have women and men's wages ever been equal, rather they have always had a significant gap between them. This has seen women as undervalued, causing a lot of discrimination and hardship in the workplace for women. Males have been seen to dominate the high wages in the workplace of every industry by receiving higher benefits, over-award payments, superannuation and greater chances of promotion. Legislations, Awards and wage rates have been developed to try and decrease the wage gap, however none have had full effect in achieving equality. Strategies are in a high need of being adopted and implemented in the workplace, to try and overcome this wage difference before it heightens.
             Why do Australian women earn less than Australian men? How might this be remedied?
             The quest for equal pay has been a highly emotive and political debate, spanning a number of decades. After thirty years of equal pay legislation, however, the gender wage gap in the Australian workplace continues, females earning about 8% less than their male counterparts in all industries and all-major occupational groupings. A multitude of factors impact upon the pay that women receive, including the nature of their employment, the occupations and industries in which they are employed, their trade union membership, and the history of wage fixation. For pay equity to be more than just a myth, proactive strategies need to be adopted by all parties in the Industrial Relations System in order to overcome historical inequities, break down the dramatic gender segmentation of the Australian workforce, and to ensure that women's skills are valued equitably.
             An examination of history suggests that the current situation is not a predetermined inevitability, but is rather the result of a number of Industrial Relations decisions, the effect of...