A seminar in Darwin tomorrow will address female/male wage disparity, highlighting the fact that Northern Territory women working full time are paid just 83 per cent of male earnings.
The seminar will be held at Darwin Central Hotel. It is sponsored by the Office of Women's Policy (OWP), a unit of the NT Department of Health and Families.
The day of the event marks Equal Pay Day-the day when NT women achieve the same annual earnings as men. To match the average wage a man earns in 12 months in the financial year working full time ordinary hours, NT women have to work an extra 67 days.
"It is important to educate Territorians about the pay equity issue," said OWP spokesperson Ms Fran O'Toole.
"The gender pay gap remains an ongoing challenge to working women in the NT. The pay gap between NT women and men is 17 per cent, a statistic that is on par with the pay gap rate reported nationally."
The seminar will feature presentations by the Office of Women's Policy, NT Working Women's Centre and the Anti-Discrimination Commission.
Discussion groups will focus on the five key themes of pay equity: women, family, workplace, systems and society.
Attendees will include employers and employees, industrial relations and human resource professionals, and lobby groups.
Release posted: 31 August 2009