Women’s labour force participation
Labour force participation rate
As at August 2008, just over five million Australian women were in the labour force, representing 57.8 per cent of all women aged 15 years and over and 45.3 per cent of Australia’s total labour force.1
International comparison
The data in Figure 3.1 indicate large cross-national differences in the involvement of women in paid work in 2007. Female labour force participation rates were as high as 86.4 per cent in Iceland and fell to 27.2 per cent in Turkey. Australia’s female labour force participation rate was ranked 13th out of 30 OECD countries. The labour force participation of women in Australia was higher than the OECD average, and was comparable to the United Kingdom and the United States.2
Figure 3.1: Labour force participation rate for women, selected OECD countries, 2007
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2007, OECD.StatExtracts, Labour Force Statistics by sex and age – indicators, viewed 12 December 2008 (http://stats.oecd.org/wbos/default.aspx).
Women’s labour force participation by age
Women have a different pattern of labour force participation by age from men (Figure 3.2). Participation rates for women are lower than those for men at all ages except in the 15-19 years of age group. Participation rates for women by age exhibit a dip between the ages of 25 and 44 years, which is not evident for men. However, participation profiles for men and women are similar in some ways. Both show relatively low participation rates among younger people and declining participation among older age groups.
For both men and women, the relatively low participation rates for people aged 15-19 years is largely explained by the high proportion of students in this age group.3 Declining participation in older age groups may be related to several factors, including retirement, poor health and/or disability.4
Figure 3.2: Labour force participation rate by gender and age group, July 2008
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Labour Force Australia Detailed – Electronic Delivery, July 2008, Catalogue No. 6291.0.55.001, ABS, Canberra, Table 01.
The main drivers of the dip in labour force participation of women aged between 25 and 44 years are caring for children and other caring and household responsibilities. Australia has one of the lowest labour force participation rates for women in these age ranges compared with other OECD countries. Across 30 OECD countries in 2007, Australia’s labour force participation rate was ranked 22nd for women aged 25 to 34 years and 21st for women aged 35 to 44 years. For these age ranges, the labour force participation rate for women is comparable to countries such as the United States, New Zealand and Greece.5
[ top ]
Labour force participation of mothers
Figure 3.3 shows that the presence of and the number of dependent children aged 0 to 17 years lower the labour force participation rate of women, but increase it for men. Among women with no dependent children, the labour force participation rate is fairly equal to the labour force participation rate of men.
Figure 3.3: Labour force participation rate for men and women aged 20-54 years by number of dependent children, 2006
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006 Census of Population and Housing, (data available upon request).
The age of the youngest child also affects the labour force participation of mothers. As shown by Figure 3.4, in 2006, the labour force participation rate for mothers of infants aged 0-4 years was 52.2 per cent and this increased to 71.5 per cent for mothers of children who had reached school age. The labour force participation rate of mothers steadily climbed to 82 per cent for mothers with a youngest child in the mid-teenage years.
Figure 3.4: Labour force participation rate for mothers aged 20-54 years by age of youngest child, 2006
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006, Census of Population and Housing, (data available upon request).
As shown by Table 3.1, the effect of caring for children labour force participation is greater for lone mothers than for partnered mothers.
Table 3.1: Labour force participation rate of mothers aged 20-54 years by partner status, age of youngest child and number of children aged 0-17 years, 2006
|
Labour force participation rate (%) |
|
|
Partnered mothers |
Lone mothers |
| Age of youngest child (years) |
|
|
|
|
54.5 |
38.6 |
|
|
73.4 |
64.7 |
|
|
79.5 |
73.0 |
|
|
82.6 |
80.1 |
| Number of dependent children |
|
|
|
|
71.7 |
66.3 |
|
|
70.0 |
61.3 |
|
|
60.9 |
49.0 |
|
|
43.9 |
31.4 |
| Total |
67.7 |
61.0 |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006, Census of Population and Housing, (data available upon request).
[ top ]
Trends in the labour force participation of mothers with young children
According to Census data,6 between 1996 and 2006, the participation rate of mothers with children under 15 years of age rose from 59 per cent to 64 per cent. Table 3.2 shows that the increase in labour force participation was particularly pronounced for lone mothers.
Table 3.2: Labour force participation and unemployment rates for mothers with dependent children, 1996 and 2006
| |
1996 |
|
2006 |
|
|
Participation rate (%) |
Unemployment rate (%) |
Participation rate (%) |
Unemployment rate (%) |
| Women with children (0-14 years) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
61.4 |
6.2 |
65.6 |
4.1 |
|
|
50.2 |
17.3 |
59.0 |
13.7 |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Australian Social Trends, Catalogue No. 4102.0, ABS, Canberra.
Education and labour force participation
Table 3.3 shows a relationship between education level and labour force participation for Australian women. In 2006, women with a postgraduate qualification had the highest labour force participation rate. The labour force participation rate for women with a Bachelor degree was 14 percentage points higher than for women whose highest level of qualification was a Year 12 secondary education.
Table 3.3: Women aged 15 years and over, labour force participation rate by highest level of educational attainment, 2006
| Highest level of educational attainment |
Labour force participation rate (%) |
| Postgraduate |
83.0 |
| Graduate diploma/Certificate |
82.3 |
| Bachelor degree |
79.1 |
| Advanced diploma/Diploma |
71.1 |
| Certificate level |
73.7 |
| Year 12 |
64.9 |
| Year 11 |
59.5 |
| Year 10 |
50.6 |
| Year 9 |
33.3 |
| Year 8 or below |
14.6 |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006, Census of Population and Housing, (data available upon request).
Indigenous women and labour force participation
Indigenous women have a lower labour force participation rate than non-Indigenous women.7 In 2007, the estimated labour force participation rate for Indigenous women was 47.9 per cent8 , compared to 57.6 per cent for the total Australian female population.9
Unlike the labour force participation rate for all women (Figure 3.2), the labour force participation rate for Indigenous women increases rather than dips during the ages of 25 and 44 years (Figure 3.5).
Figure 3.5: Estimated labour force participation for Indigenous women by age group, 2007
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Labour Force Characteristics of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians 2007, Catalogue No. 6287.0, ABS, Canberra, Table 2.
[ top ]
Industries and occupations in which women work
Figure 3.6 shows that the labour force in Australia continues to be segmented according to gender. A greater number of women are employed in the Health and community services and Education industries, whereas men comprise the majority of employees in the Construction, Manufacturing, Mining, Transport and storage, and Wholesale trade industries.
The distributions of the male and female labour forces by occupation are shown in Figure 3.7. A greater number of women are employed as Elementary and Intermediate clerical, sales and service workers compared to men. Men comprise the majority of Labourers and related workers and Intermediate production and transport workers.
The number of women and men employed as Associate professionals and Professionals are similar. However, men outnumber women employed as Managers and administrators and Tradespersons.
Figure 3.6: The number of employed men and women by industry, August 2008
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Australian Labour Market Statistics, October 2008, Catalogue No. 6105.0, ABS, Canberra, Table 2.4.
Figure 3.7: The number of employed men and women by occupation, August 2008
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Australian Labour Market Statistics, October 2008, Catalogue No. 6105.0, ABS, Canberra, Table 2.4.
Women employed part time
As at August 2008, nearly 2.2 million women worked part-time, representing 44.5 per cent of all employed women and 71.9 per cent of the part-time workforce.10 Part-time work is based on hours worked: defined as those who usually worked less than 35 hours a week (in all jobs). It is not based on the type of work they are doing, e.g. there are “casuals” who are employed full-time. Figure 3.8 shows that the proportion of women employed part-time work is higher than the proportion of men employed part-time among all age groups, especially between the ages of 35 and 54 years.
Figure 3.8: Part-time employees as a proportion of all employed men and women by age group, July 2008
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Labour Force Australia Detailed – Electronic Delivery, July 2008, Catalogue No. 6291.0.55.001, ABS, Canberra, Table 01.
Figure 3.9 demonstrates the mix of full-time and part-time employment for women within occupations. Part-time work is the dominant form of employment for women in lower skilled occupations such as Clerical, sales and service workers, although part-time work is also common among female Professionals.
Figure 3.9: The number of employed women by full-time/part-time employment status and occupation, August 2008
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Australian Labour Market Statistics, October 2008, Catalogue No. 6105.0, ABS, Canberra, Table 2.4.
Figure 3.10 shows the mix of full-time and part-time employment for women within industries. Within the Health and community services, Education, Property and business services, and Retail trade industries, more women are employed part-time than full-time.
[ top ]
Figure 3.10: Employed women by full-time/part-time employment status by industry, August 2008
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Australian Labour Market Statistics, October 2008, Catalogue No. 6105.0, ABS, Canberra, Table 2.4.
The female full-time labour force
Table 3.4 shows the occupational distribution of men and women employed full-time. Nearly one-third (32.5 per cent) of male employees are concentrated in lower-skilled occupations compared to 38.9 per cent of female employees. Women are clearly clustered in the Intermediate clerical, sales and service workers field in the lower-skilled occupations. In the higher-skilled occupations, over half of women (51.1 per cent) are employed as Associate professionals, Professionals or Managers and administrators, which is a higher representation than the 43.9 per cent of men employed in those occupations. A larger proportion of men than women are employed full-time as Managers and administrators and Tradespersons.
Table 3.4: Full-time labour force by occupation and gender, August 2008
|
Labour force (%) |
| Occupation |
Women |
Men |
| Managers and administrators |
8.2 |
12.4 |
| Professionals |
28.0 |
17.7 |
| Associate professionals |
15.6 |
13.9 |
| Tradespersons and related workers |
2.9 |
22.7 |
| Advanced clerical and service workers |
6.3 |
0.7 |
| Intermediate clerical, sales and service workers |
25.5 |
7.6 |
| Intermediate production and transport workers |
2.5 |
13.2 |
| Elementary clerical, sales and service workers |
6.6 |
3.5 |
| Labourers and related workers |
4.4 |
8.2 |
| Total |
100.0 |
100.0 |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Australian Labour Market Statistics, October 2008, Catalogue No. 6105.0, ABS, Canberra, Table 2.4. Totals may not add up to 100 per cent due to rounding.
Hours worked
Table 3.5 shows the average weekly full-time and part-time hours in August 2008 worked by men and women. The data show that among the full-time employed, men work longer hours per week than women across all industries and occupations. On average, men employed full-time spend an additional four hours per week at work than women. Among part-time employees, women work slightly longer weekly hours (0.6) than men.
Table 3.5: Actual average weekly hours worked by full-time and part-time status, industry, occupation and gender, August 2008
| |
Full-time average
weekly hours |
Part-time average
weekly hours |
| Women |
Men |
Women |
Men |
| Industry |
|
|
|
|
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing
|
43.8 |
51.6 |
14.2 |
16.2 |
|
|
40.6 |
45.0 |
15.7* |
27.0* |
|
|
38.0 |
41.4 |
18.7 |
20.3 |
- Electricity, gas and water supply
|
33.7 |
36.5 |
23.0* |
21.5* |
|
|
39.2 |
41.2 |
14.4 |
18.0 |
|
|
40.2 |
43.1 |
19.0 |
19.3 |
|
|
40.1 |
43.7 |
15.5 |
13.8 |
- Accommodation, cafes and restaurants
|
43.5 |
45.5 |
15.9 |
15.8 |
|
|
39.6 |
44.6 |
20.4 |
18.2 |
|
|
37.7 |
40.6 |
20.0 |
20.6 |
|
|
37.7 |
40.9 |
20.0 |
18.3 |
- Property and business services
|
39.5 |
43.5 |
16.5 |
17.6 |
- Government administration and defence
|
35.3 |
37.5 |
19.3 |
21.3 |
|
|
39.9 |
42.5 |
18.3 |
16.4 |
- Health and community services
|
37.3 |
41.7 |
19.5 |
19.4 |
- Cultural and recreational services
|
37.3 |
43.4 |
12.4 |
15.7 |
- Personal and other services
|
37.8 |
41.7 |
17.1 |
15.7 |
| Occupation |
|
|
|
|
- Managers and administrators
|
43.2 |
47.4 |
17.3 |
16.9 |
|
|
39.4 |
41.9 |
18.2 |
19.1 |
|
|
40.7 |
44.8 |
18.6 |
16.6 |
- Tradespersons and related workers
|
39.1 |
40.9 |
18.3 |
18.5 |
- Advanced clerical and service workers
|
37.4 |
42.8 |
15.7 |
21.4 |
- Intermediate clerical, sales and service workers
|
36.7 |
40.0 |
18.3 |
17.2 |
- Intermediate production and transport workers
|
38.7 |
42.6 |
16.1 |
16.2 |
- Elementary clerical, sales and service workers
|
37.5 |
40.6 |
15.2 |
14.3 |
- Labourers and related workers
|
36.0 |
41.6 |
16.2 |
15.5 |
| Total |
38.8 |
42.7 |
17.2 |
16.6 |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Australian Labour Market Statistics, October 2008, Catalogue No. 6105.0, ABS, Canberra, Table 2.6.
* Estimate is subject to sampling variability too high for most practical purposes
[ top ]
Wage setting arrangements
As shown by Table 3.6, wage setting arrangements are different for men and women. The most common methods of setting pay are collective agreements for women and individual arrangements for men. A higher proportion of women than men are paid by award only. Awards are more common among part-time than full-time employees and individual arrangements are more common for full-time employees than for part-time employees.
Table 3.6: Proportion of employees by methods of setting pay, full-time and part-time status, and gender, May 2006
| |
Award only |
Collective agreement |
Individual arrangement* |
Total |
| Women |
|
|
|
|
|
|
14.3 |
44.2 |
41.4 |
100.0 |
|
|
32.4 |
44.8 |
22.8 |
100.0 |
| All employees |
23.4 |
44.5 |
32.1 |
100.0 |
| Men |
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.3 |
38.2 |
51.5 |
100.0 |
|
|
33.8 |
36.5 |
29.6 |
100.0 |
| All employees |
14.7 |
37.9 |
47.4 |
100.0 |
| All employees |
|
|
|
|
|
|
11.8 |
40.5 |
47.8 |
100.0 |
|
|
32.8 |
42.5 |
24.7 |
100.0 |
| Total |
19.0 |
41.2 |
39.9 |
100.0 |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2007, Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2006 (Reissue), Catalogue No. 6306.0, ABS, Canberra, Table 13.
* Includes working proprietors of incorporated business.
Women and small business
The following section reviews the findings from the 2005 and 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics’ Characteristics of Small Business surveys.11
The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines a small business operator as a person who operates a non-agricultural business with less than 20 employees.
In June 2006, 32 per cent of small business operators were women, down slightly from 33 per cent in 2005.
Age differences in female small business operators
In June 2006, 60 per cent of all female small business operators were aged between 30 and 50 years. A further 31 per cent of all female small business operators were aged greater than 50 years and 9 per cent were aged less than 30 years.
Gender differences in hours worked by small business operators
In June 2006, 61 per cent of female small business operators worked part-time hours (defined as working less than 35 hours per week), compared with 20 per cent of male small business operators (Table 3.7). The proportion of female small business operators working part-time was considerably higher than the proportion of the total female labour force employed part-time as at June 2006 (45.2 per cent).12
Table 3.7: Small business operators by hours worked and gender
| Hours worked |
2005 (%) |
2006 (%) |
| Men |
|
|
|
|
80 |
80 |
|
|
20 |
20 |
| Women |
|
|
|
|
40 |
39 |
|
|
60 |
61 |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Australian Small Business Operators – Findings from the 2005 and 2006 Characteristics of Small Business Surveys, 2005-06, Catalogue No. 8127.0, ABS, Canberra.
[ top ]
Gender pay gap
In Australia in May 2008, the average total weekly earnings for all employees were $702.30 for women and $1,075.10 for men.13 These estimates produce a ratio of female to male earnings of 65.3 per cent, which equates to a gender pay gap of 34.7 per cent.
When only full-time employees are considered, the ratio increases to 80.5 per cent and when overtime hours are excluded, it increases further to 83.8 per cent,14 reflecting that employed women are more likely than men to work part-time15 and less likely to work overtime hours.
When differences between men and women in the number of hours worked are controlled among full-time non-managerial employees, women’s earnings are closer to men’s still, but a gender earnings gap of 9.8 per cent remains (ratio = 90.2 per cent).16
Trends in the gender pay gap
Figure 3.11 shows trends over the last 25 years in the ratio of female to male average full-time adult ordinary-time weekly earnings. There has been a trend towards a higher ratio, although this has been gradual and there have been some reversals at times. The ratio has ranged between 81.3 per cent in 1984 to a peak of 84.9 per cent in 2004 and 2005. Over the last three years, there has been a decline in the ratio, to 83.9 per cent in May 2008.
Figure 3.11: Trends in female/male average full-time adult ordinary-time earnings May 1984 – May 2008
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Average Weekly Earnings, May 2008, Time Series Spreadsheets, Catalogue No. 6302.0, ABS, Canberra, Table 1.
Gender pay gap by industry
An analysis of aggregated gender pay gap data can mask large variations in the earnings differentials between different groups of men and women. For example, the size of the gender wage gap varies according to the industry of employment. As shown by Figure 3.12, two industries are marked by a very low ratio of female to male average weekly full-time earnings:
- The Finance and insurance industry, despite recording higher than average weekly wages for women ($1,148.80), shows a gender pay gap of 32.4 per cent.
- In the Health and community services industry, women’s average weekly wages of $971.30 are just 70.4 per cent of men’s average earnings.
Figure 3.12 also demonstrates different movements over time in the gender pay gap across industries. Between 1984 and 2008, the gender pay gap narrowed in 11 of the 16 broad industry groups and widened in five of the 16 broad industry groups. The gender pay equity ratio declined in the Health and community services industry by 9.6 percentage points and by 3.8 percentage points in the Finance and insurance industry.
Figure 3.12: Female average weekly full-time ordinary time earnings as a proportion of male average weekly full-time ordinary time earnings, May 1984 and May 2008
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Average Weekly Earnings, May 2008, Catalogue No. 6302.0, ABS, Canberra, Table 10.
Gender pay gap by occupation
In Figure 3.13 gender pay ratios based on average hourly ordinary-time earnings by occupational groups are provided for full-time adult non-managerial employees. The most recent data are from 2006. The data show that the gender pay gap was widest among Tradespersons and Associate professionals. The gender wage gap was narrowest among Elementary clerical, sales and service workers, followed by Professionals. Between 1996 and 2006, the gender pay gap widened among Tradespersons, Labourers, Advanced clerical and service workers, and Associate professionals. It narrowed among Professionals, Intermediate and Elementary clerical, sales and service workers, and Intermediate production and transport workers.
Figure 3.13: Gender earnings ratio by occupation group based on average hourly ordinary-time earnings for full-time adult non-managerial staff, Australia, 1996 and 2006
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2007, Employee Earnings and Hours, 1996 and 2006, Catalogue No. 6306.0, ABS, Canberra.
[ top ]
Gender pay gap by employment status
Table 3.8 shows the average hourly cash earnings for non-managerial employees by employment status. Among full-time employees, where hourly earnings are highest for women (and men), the wage gap is the widest. Among part-time employees, the wages of women are slightly higher than the wages of men.
Table 3.8: Average hourly cash earnings by gender and gender earnings ratio by employment status, non-managerial employees, May 2006
| |
Men |
Women |
Gender earnings
ratio (%) |
| Permanent full-time |
$27.20 |
$24.20 |
89.0 |
| Permanent part-time |
$22.50 |
$22.80 |
100.1 |
| Casual |
$22.00 |
$19.90 |
90.5 |
| All employees |
$26.30 |
$23.20 |
88.2 |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2007, Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2006, Catalogue No. 6306.0, ABS, Canberra, Table 20.
Gender pay gap by wage setting arrangement
Women’s earnings and the gender pay gap also vary across wage setting arrangements (Table 3.9).
Women paid by award only (that is, women whose pay was set by an award and were not paid more than the award rate of pay) earn the lowest average hourly rate of pay, but the use of this arrangement results in the narrowest gender pay gap. The highest average income outcomes for women were generated under registered collective agreements, and these arrangements were associated with the second smallest gender pay gap (10.5 per cent) after awards (-0.3 per cent). The widest gender wage gap (18.9 per cent) was associated with registered individual agreements.
Table 3.9: Average hourly cash earnings by gender and gender earnings ratio by wage setting arrangements, non-managerial employees, May 2006
| |
Men |
Women |
Gender earnings
ratio (%) |
| Award only |
$18.00 |
$18.60 |
100.3 |
| Registered collective agreement |
$28.70 |
$25.70 |
89.5 |
| Unregistered collective agreement |
$23.60 |
$20.70 |
87.7 |
| Registered individual agreement |
$28.10 |
$22.80 |
81.1 |
| Unregistered individual Agreement |
$27.20 |
$23.10 |
84.9 |
| All methods of setting pay |
$26.30 |
$23.20 |
88.2 |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2007, Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2006, Catalogue No. 6306.0, ABS, Canberra, Table 20.
Women’s retirement
In 2007, there were 3.1 million people aged 45 years and over who were retired from the labour force, comprising 1.8 million women and 1.3 million men.17
Age at retirement
The average age at retirement for people aged 45 years and over was 58 years for men and 47 years for women. Figure 3.14 shows that 60 per cent of women had retired before the age of 55 years compared to 28 per cent of men. Over one-third of women had retired between the ages of 45 and 49 years.
Figure 3.14: Retired people aged 45 years and over, age at retirement by gender, 2007
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Employment Arrangements, Retirement and Superannuation, Australia, April to July 2007, Catalogue No. 6361.0, ABS, Canberra, Table 14.
[ top ]
Main source of income at retirement
In 2007, the main source of income for retired women and men was government pensions and allowance (67 per cent of retired women and 65 per cent of retired men).18 Figure 3.15 shows that in comparison to women who had retired more than four years ago, more recent retirees were less likely to have government pensions and allowances and more likely to have superannuation, an annuity or an allocated pension as their main source of income.
Nearly 18 per cent of women who had recently retired had no (or negative) income. This proportion declined for women who had been retired for longer.
Figure 3.15: Women aged 45 years and over who have retired, main source of personal income by time since retirement, 2007
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Employment Arrangements, Retirement and Superannuation, Australia, April to July 2007, Catalogue No. 6361.0, ABS, Canberra, Table 15.
Women’s superannuation savings
Superannuation coverage
In 2007, 75.7 per cent of all men aged 15 years and over in Australia had superannuation coverage, compared to 66.3 per cent of women aged 15 years and over.19 Superannuation coverage for men and women according to age is shown in Figure 3.16. Higher proportions of women and men aged 25 to 54 years had superannuation coverage than people aged 55 years and over. Across all age groups, a higher proportion of men than women were covered by superannuation.
Figure 3.16: Men and women with superannuation coverage by age group, 2007
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Employment Arrangements, Retirement and Superannuation, Australia, April to July 2007, Catalogue No. 6361.0, ABS, Canberra, Table 19.
In 2007, 2.8 million women and 1.6 million men aged 15 years and over reported not being covered by superannuation.20 However, as shown by Figure 3.17, since 2000, the proportion of women with no superannuation coverage has decreased across all age groups.
Figure 3.17: Women aged 15 years and over with no superannuation coverage by age group, 2007
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2008, Employment Arrangements, Retirement and Superannuation, Australia, April to July 2007, Catalogue No. 6361.0, ABS, Canberra, Table 19.
Note: Ages 70 and over not shown as 2000 data only collected on persons aged 15-69.
Superannuation balances
In 2007, the average superannuation balances for Australians aged 15 years and over with superannuation coverage were $87,589 for men and $52,272 for women.21
Other information on women’s average superannuation balances has been provided from an analysis of the Australian Bureau of Statistics Surveys of Income and Housing conducted by the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia. Those data have been reproduced in Table 3.10.
Average superannuation balances achieved by 2006 for Australians aged 25 to 64 years were $69,050 for men and $35,520 for women. Between 2004 and 2006, average superannuation balances increased by 48.7 per cent, from $23,900, for women and by 30.3 per cent, from $56,400, for men.
Table 3.10: Average superannuation balance for men and women aged 25-64 years by age, 2006
| |
Women |
Men |
| Age group |
|
|
| 25-34 |
$14,060 |
$19,780 |
| 35-44 |
$25,580 |
$46,890 |
| 45-54 |
$48,250 |
$93,920 |
| 55-59 |
$58,760 |
$126,090 |
| 60-64 |
$62,600 |
$135,810 |
| Total |
$35,520 |
$69,050 |
Source: Clare, R. 2008, Retirement savings update, ASFA Research & Resource Centre, The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia, Sydney, Table 1.
[ top ]
Self employed women and superannuation
Women who are self employed have superannuation balances that are substantially lower than the average balances of female wage and salary earners and self employed men (See Table 3.11).
Table 3.11: Average superannuation balances among wage and salary earners and self employed aged 25-64 years by gender, 2006
| |
Women |
Men |
| Wage and salary earners |
$42,960 |
$77,100 |
| Self employed |
$33,340 |
$49,130 |
Source: Clare, R. 2008, The self employed and saving for retirement, ASFA Research & Resource Centre, The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia, Sydney.
References