Gender pay gaps revealed: The jobs where there’s a huge difference between male and female incomes

The Australian Taxation Office last week released its tax statistics for 2015-16, shining a light on the sectors with the biggest gaps in income between male and female workers. 

The data forms part of a broader data package from the tax office, which last week also revealed the highest and lowest reported taxable incomes based on Australian postcodes.

While Australia’s full-time gender pay gap currently stands at 15.3%, the numbers from the ATO reveal women are only out-earning their male counterparts in fewer than 100 jobs nationwide. In contrast, there are more than 1000 jobs where males out-earn females in the same role, according to annual taxable incomes. The full list of professions was revealed by the ABC last week. 

Of the 80 occupations where women are being rewarded financially comparative to males, some of them are quite unique professions, to say the least, with surfing and master fishing featuring high on the list.

So, which of the few jobs tend to lead to larger average incomes for women when compared to men? 

Top 10 jobs where women report a higher average salary than men:
*F= female workers, M= male workers

State Governor
F: $286,676, M: $169,148
Pay gap: $117,528
Futures trader
F: $388,681, M: $300,923
Pay gap = $87,758
Gymnast
F: $81,354, M: $31,339
Pay gap = $50,015
Bulldozer operator
F: $106,899, M: $76,283
Pay gap = $30,616
Surfer
F: $68,178, M: $40,396
Pay gap = $27,782
Master fisher
F: $110,385, M: $83,644
Pay gap = $26,741
Apprentice – forestry
F: $53,413, M: $29,484
Pay gap = $23,929
Goat farmer
F: $66,127, M: $44,495
Pay gap = $21,632
Apprentice autoglazier
F: $56,072, M: $34,891
Pay gap = $21,181
Saw sharpener
F: $84,464, M: $64,616
Pay gap: $19,848

Despite women leading the salary race in the above fields, many of these industries employ fewer women than men overall. 

Only 22 females fall into the category of ‘surfer’, according to the data, in comparison to 81 men around Australia. Of the 291 people listed as ‘futures traders’, women only account for 23 of the workers in this sector across the country.

The most stark discrepancy is in the bulldozer industry, where only four females were listed as being employed in the sector, compared with 440 males. 

Top 10 jobs where men report a higher average taxable income than women: 

Ophthalmologist
M: $578,838, F: $247,905
Pay gap = $330,933 
Otorhinolaryngologist
M: $537,764, F: $233,083
Pay gap = $304,681 
Cricketer
M: $311,972 F: $39,711
Pay gap = $272,261
Musician – singer
M: $306,508 F: $38,002
Pay gap = $268,578
Orthopedic Surgeon
M: $451,265, F: $198,081
Pay gap = $253,184
Dermatologist
M: $416,186, F: $188,298
Pay gap = $227,888
Plastic and reconstructive surgeon
M: $481,517, F: $255,336
Pay gap = $262,181 
Neurosurgeon
M: $600,153, F: $378,188
Pay gap = $221,965 
Cardiologist
M: $484,086, F: $266,805
Pay gap = $217,281
Cardiothoracic surgeon
M: $387,770, F: $187,166
Pay gap = $200,604 

It must be noted when consuming this information that the data does not take into account whether someone is working part-time or full-time.

However, the numbers indicate several roles within the country’s medical sector have the biggest pay discrepancies between male and female professionals, on average.

Eye, ear, nose and throat and heart specialists all fall within the top 10 of a list that many industries wouldn’t want to make.

Comparing the two lists, the average pay advantage males have over females is significant, with the average pay difference between male and female workers in the top professions coming in at $255,956 on average.

By comparison, in fields where women out-earn their male counterparts, the gap is only $42,703.

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