It’s also a man’s world when it comes to working in the highest paying jobs, with men taking home hundreds of thousands of dollars more compared to their female counterparts in the same role.
Two separate studies recently released show the extent of the problem.
The first is PwC’s CEO Succession study of the 2015 calendar year, finding just 3% of CEO appointments at the world’s 2500 largest organisations went to women. Here Australia is doing reasonable well, with 9% of such appointments going to women – although that’s not going to be enough to improve on the just 10 women leading ASX 200 organisations. In 2015, just three women were appointed to lead ASX 200 organisations, Georgette Nicholas from Genworth Mortgage Insurance, Deborah Thomas from Ardent Leisure Group, and Courtney Petersen at Shine Corporate (which falls short of the ASX 200 in 2016).
The second study comes from Australian Tax Data, and reveals the fifty highest paying jobs, according to gender. It highlights some significant pay gaps in men and women working in the same occupations. For example, a male neurosurgeon (the highest paying job in the country) earns a massive $577,674 a year, compared with women in the same role who take home just $323,682, a good 44 per cent less.
Indeed, the entire list (see below) makes for some miserable reading on the gender pay gap – which the ABS and WGEA reports as being at 16.2%, and which actually seems small when you consider gaps across jobs that bring in more than one hundred thousand dollars a year.
Most of the highest paying roles for men are in medicine, with an Ophthalmologist taking home $552,947, a cardiologist taking home $453,253, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon taking home $448,530 and a gynaecologist/obstetrician taking home $446,507.
The first non-medical role is a judge in the 13th spot, with male judges taking home $381,323 a year.
For women, being a judge is currently the highest paid occupation, still taking home less than men but with $355,844 it tops the list, followed by neurosurgeons (on $323,682), plastic and reconstructive surgeons (on $281,698) and interestingly, futures traders, on $281,699.
One big surprise on the list is that female gynecologists/obstetricians take home significantly less than men in the role, an average of $264,628 compared with men on almost half a million. You’d think this would be one area where women can charge more for their services.
Meanwhile, a male member of parliament takes home $232,063, significantly higher again than female members of parliament, on just $173,331.
See the highest-paying occupations according to gender below.
Australia’s 50 highest paying jobs:
Men
- Neurosurgeon $577,674
- Ophthalmologist $552,947
- Cardiologist $453,253
- Plastic and reconstructive surgeon $448,530
- Gynaecologist; Obstetrician $446,507
- Otorhinolaryngologist $445,939
- Orthopedic surgeon $439,629
- Urologist $433,792
- Vascular surgeon $417,524
- Gastroenterologist $415,192
- Diagnostic and interventional radiologist $386,003
- Dermatologist $383,880
- Judge — law $381,323
- Anaesthetist $370,492
- Cardiothoracic surgeon $358,043
- Surgeon — general $357,996
- Specialist physicians — other $344,860
- Radiation oncologist $336,994
- Medical oncologist $322,178
- Securities and finance dealer $320,452
- Thoracic medicine specialist $315,444
- Specialist physician — general medicine $315,114
- Intensive care specialist $308,033
- Renal medicine specialist $298,681
- Neurologist $298,543
- Financial investment manager $288,790
- Investment broker $286,530
- Paediatric surgeon $282,508
- Clinical haematologist $271,738
- Futures trader $264,830
- Endocrinologist $258,972
- Cricketer $257,527
- Rheumatologist $256,933
- Dental specialist $253,442
- Magistrate $246,737
- Equities analyst; Investment dealer $245,826
- Paediatrician $239,405
- Stock exchange dealer; Stockbroker $238,192
- Psychiatrist $234,557
- Emergency medicine specialist $232,595
- Member of Parliament $232,093
- Pathologist $224,378
- Company secretary — corporate governance $218,432
- State governor $212,652
- Actuary $196,144
- Sports physician $187,468
- Petroleum engineer $185,808
- Chief executive officer; Executive director; Managing director; Public servant — secretary or
- Deputy secretary $181,849
- Mining production manager $179,439
Women
- Judge — law $355,844
- Neurosurgeon $323,682
- Plastic and reconstructive surgeon $281,608
- Futures trader $281,600
- Vascular surgeon $271,529
- Gynaecologist; Obstetrician $264,628
- Gastroenterologist $260,925
- Magistrate $260,161
- Anaesthetist $243,582
- Ophthalmologist $217,242
- Cardiologist $215,920
- Urologist $213,094
- Surgeon — general $210,796
- Medical oncologist $208,612
- Specialist physicians — other $207,599 / Specialist physician — general medicine $207,225
- Otorhinolaryngologist $200,136
- Dermatologist $195,030
- Diagnostic and interventional radiologist $180,695
- Cardiothoracic surgeon $175,500
- Paediatric surgeon $175,314
- Endocrinologist $174,542
- Member of Parliament $173,331
- Rheumatologist $169,409
- Intensive care specialist $169,369
- Emergency medicine specialist $165,786
- Orthopedic surgeon $159,479
- Neurologist $155,217
- Renal medicine specialist $155,133
- Psychiatrist $152,437
- Clinical haematologist $147,970
- Paediatrician $147,347
- Securities and finance dealer $145,208
- Dental specialist $140,505
- Actuary $136,819
- Radiation oncologist $135,678
- Financial investment manager $134,481
- Petroleum engineer $133,315
- Mining production manager $133,061
- General medical practitioner $129,834
- Thoracic medicine specialist $127,645
- Stockbroker $124,433
- Paving plant operator $123,281
- Mining engineer $119,564
- Tribunal member $119,219
- Occupational medicine specialist; Public health physician; Sports physician $118,310
- Geophysicist $117,575
- General medical practitioner $184,639
- Chief executive officer; Executive director; Managing director; Public servant — secretary or Deputy Secretary $116,855
- Metallurgist $110,359
- Engineering manager $116,732