Written by Brianna Elliott
Despite minor improvements over the last 5 years, ANU still reports a significant gender pay gap across all roles on campus. The 2023-24 Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) data shows that ANU has a 7.7 percent median total remuneration gender pay gap in favour of men.
Comparatively, the average national gender pay gap is 21.8 percent for total remuneration, which includes an employee’s base salary and any additional bonuses or benefits they receive. On average, this means that for every $1 a man earns, a woman will only earn 78 cents.
According to the WGEA, institutions and companies that have a less than 5 percent average pay gap between women and men are considered to have effectively eliminated their gender gap. However, only 21 percent of all Australian employers have met this benchmark.
In comparison to the Group of Eight (Go8) and the University of Canberra, ANU ranks second last in the median total remuneration of the gender pay gap for the 2023-24 WGEA data.
The University of Adelaide takes the last position with a 14.3 percent gender pay gap, however, the University of Sydney comes in the lead with only a 1.8 percent gap.
While the University of Canberra is not a Go8 university, it also met the pay gap benchmark with only a 4.3 percent gendered difference.
However, when breaking this data down further and specifically looking at the gender composition by pay quartile for 2025, there is a notable difference in gendered ratios per position.
For example, 56 percent of male ANU staff are employed in a role in the upper quartile of paid positions. Comparatively, only 44 percent of women occupy the same quartile of high-paying jobs. However, this gap for the lower quartile of positions on campus is significantly more dominated by women (62 percent) than men (38 percent).
Notably, while the 2024 data confirms there was no change in the gendered percentage difference in the upper quartile positions, the same cannot be said for the lower quartile, where the number of women in these lower-paid positions increased in 2025.
A University spokesperson emphasised ANU’s advocacy of the WGEA as “a vital initiative” and “an important step in ensuring that all organisations make pay fair and equal across the board”.
They continued to state that ANU “fully support[s] WGEA’s publication of gender pay gaps as part of national efforts to advance gender equality”.
ANUSA President Will Burfoot and Women’s Officer Jade Poulton provided a collective response to ANU’s 2025 Gender Pay Employee Statement, voicing that, “from a student perspective, we appreciate that ANU is engaging with this issue and seems to be approaching it seriously”.
They emphasised that ANU’s “Gender Equity Strategy is a strong foundation, especially now that it’s being operationalised and monitored more closely”.
However, they believe that ANU “also need[s] to make sure that issues like pay equity, fair workloads and representation don’t fall off the radar.”
Poulton and Burfoot also highlighted recent concerns and issues, such as “the wage underpayment affecting over 2,000 staff”, where “there are still serious gaps in how the University values and compensates its workforce”.
The ANUSA representatives reaffirm that while “the intent is there, ANU needs to follow through with tangible outcomes – especially for women and gender-diverse staff who’ve historically been left behind”.
The ANUSA President and Women’s Officer both confirm that “there are definitely conversations happening” in regards to achieving gender equity, but they both would “love to see more consistent and visible action”.
Despite this concern from the student body, an ANU spokesperson notes that as an institution, they are committed to “upholding and leading our community with a values-led approach” and “having difficult conversations when we fall short of our own expectations”.
Within ANUSA and the ANU Women’s Department, Burfoot and Poulton highlighted that they are “always pushing for better gender representation in leadership and decision-making – not just among staff, but within student-facing roles as well.”
When asked by Observer about whether student workers experience gendered disparities in pay and/or workload, the ANUSA representatives stated that “issues around workload and recognition often come up, particularly for women and non-binary students who are more likely to take on less visible labour like student support or emotional work.”
The spokesperson from ANU acknowledged the university’s shortcomings in this area, stating that “although [ANU] has made progress and commitments to address and lead change, work remains to be done”. They emphasise that this will “require our entire community to support and deliver”.
The Women’s Officer and ANUSA President note that “the gender pay gap is just one symptom of a wider issue”, emphasising that across all gender issues, including “sexual violence prevention, leadership representation, or equitable employment the same themes keep coming up: progress is slow, and accountability is often missing”.
The ANUSA representatives believe that “students want to see more than glossy statements” and instead are asking the university to show visible “proof that people are being paid fairly, promoted equitably, and supported to succeed”.
Therefore, as conversations around gender equity continue on a national level, students and staff are watching closely to see whether ANU’s commitments will lead to meaningful, measurable change.
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