This report is the first public analysis of Commonwealth public sector performance against each of the 6 gender equality indicators (GEIs).

The report examines the composition, pay and actions Commonwealth public sector employers are taking to drive gender equality and the areas where improvements can be achieved. It is based on employer reports for the period of 1 January to 31 December 2022, the first period of reporting it. As such, it forms the baseline for future improvement in the sector.

The GEIs are the same for Commonwealth public sector and the private sector, enabling comparison between the two. The private sector comparisons in this scorecard are from Australia’s gender equality scorecard - November 2023.

Key findings:

• of 339,951 employees, 43.5% are women and 56.3% are men
• the gender pay gap is 13.5% and 50% of employer gender pay gaps are above 6.9%
• on average, women earn 86 cents for ever dollar earned by men
• this adds up to women earning $19,007 less than men per year
• men are 2.5 times likely to be in the highest earning quartile than women
• only 11% of universal parental leave is taken by men
• 55% of employers have a gender-balanced board
• 42% of Chairs are women