Now I'm not a 'believer in a Gender pay gap but I do believe there is a life time 'earnings gap' between the two sexes which probably could be 'better' managed in Australia.
A recent article - The message is clear, women are not part of Australia’s fair go
Does talk about the 'gap' widening from what I have 'read' from the actual research not journalist sensationalism is women generally do get paid mostly the 'same' as men per-hour (for same work) however they tend to 'work less hours' though out there working life (despite living longer then their male counter parts) and one of the big issues is women take 12 or so months off for maternity leave for every child they have (note: some take more then 12 some take less but the average is about 12 months)
The other bits of research I've read in the past is there is a gap because men more likely to take a heighten risk to create wealth i.e. start a business, invest in stocks etc (however interestingly women who invest on average do better then men from a returns POV) - but I don't think there is much society can do about that so to focus on the matter at hand….
With that said from a balanced perspective I actually think there is a reasonable argument women should not be 'dis-advantaged' for having children especially in countries like Australia that have a relatively low birth rate. The system should be encouraging women to have a solid career but also not harm them financially if they choose to have children. If anything it should be 'encouraged' from a social and financial perspective.
This is probably the most 'socialist' thing you will read me type, but I think there is a fair argument women should be fair at least 12 months full pay maternity leave with super and all…(this should be paid by the government not the employer to stop discrimination at the hiring point) - Certain workplaces might want to give additional benefits but I think the minimum time for full pay should be 12 months or at least 12 months at minimum wage.
What does the OzBargain community think?
Full: Disclosure my wife and I have two kids do not intend to have anymore i have no 'dog in this fight'
I don't think maternity leave makes a big difference in a woman's decision to have a baby. Birth rates are on the decline to the point where Australia can't even sustain itself. We will go extinct at this rate.
Something isn't working. Having children seems to be more of a cultural thing rather than a financial one. It's been framed as the 'uncool' and restrictive path for a woman to take, as opposed to her single and empowered counterpart who ends up alone at 40 with nothing but a career.
We need to bring back family values to increase birth rates. As for the financial side, lowering taxes and empowering households to become more independent through free-market policies might help.