ICYMI: It's Equal Pay Day in Australia today - marking the 50 days into the new financial year that Australian women must work to earn the same, on average, as men did last year.
The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) here in Australia says that it uses the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) average weekly earnings trend data to calculate the number of days after the end of financial year that women have to work to be paid the same as the average man in Australia - and it's this date that becomes Equal Pay Day each year.
To mark Equal Pay Day, Verve Super, co-founded by Christina Hobbs, has launched a campaign involving a spoof job ad for the 'world's worst job': being a full-time woman (note - this is not a paid partnership with Verve Super - we just love spotlighting innovative campaigns that highlight important issues).
The LinkedIn post.
"Ready to work just as hard as men, but get paid less? Love thriving under pressure and being underappreciated? Welcome to the employer you probably already have! Equal Pay Day on August 19 highlights a harsh truth: women must work 50 extra days a year to earn what men do," the job posting (which has since been taken down and reposted as an article) read on LinkedIn.
The job requirements, according to the post:
"The only qualification you need to earn less than a man is to be a woman. Additional responsibilities such as caretaking and housekeeping must be done outside of work hours—flexibility is not an option." The salary? $0 for a 50 day contract (the number of days that Australian women must work to earn the same, on average, as men did in 2023).
Some of the perks listed in the job post include: "Finish at 5pm, even though your pay should allow you to stop at 3:14pm; the satisfaction of knowing you’re doing more for less; opportunities to climb the ladder, just don’t fall pregnant; negotiation and resilience training to build your confidence to ask for more and handle the inevitable letdown."
While the LinkedIn post has definitely made a splash, it also directs those 'pissed off by our job posting' to resources on the company's website.
Here at Missing Perspectives, we love a campaign that uses humour to spotlight a really important issue - and are keen to see more brands step into this space and become advocates for equal pay.