Fair pay matters. Both women and men consistently rank it as an important factor in the workplace in the annual CA ANZ remuneration survey and it is the strongest indicator of whether staff stay with an organisation. Yet this year’s survey results show that significant pay gaps remain in accounting, with the gender pay gap sitting at 14% in Australia and 24% in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The survey also reveals stark differences in perception. Nearly three-quarters of women (73%) recognise there is a gender pay gap in the profession, compared with 41% of men.

CA ANZ CEO Ainslie van Onselen highlights the business imperative of acting on data: “For employers, these insights can help attract and retain top talent, and for CA ANZ, the data drives our advocacy aimed at supporting a rewarding and attractive profession.

“Encouragingly, our members strongly support CA ANZ advocating to address this gap, and prioritising the provision of resources and data, and leadership development for women.”

How can change happen?

Closing the gender pay gap starts with employers, including those who are members, recognising the problem. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) in Australia has consistently highlighted that structural pay inequities are driven by organisational decisions.

Dr Samone McCurdy, insights and capability executive manager at WGEA, stresses the influence employers have, and that it starts with acknowledgement.

“Employers have the ability to address the gender pay gap but first, they need to acknowledge that it exists,” she says. “They must conduct detailed gender pay gap reviews to understand how gender is influencing who stays, who progresses, who receives rewards, and how pay and benefits are distributed.”

While women members are affected by the gender pay gap, members who hold senior roles in their organisations are best placed to address it.

Understanding the gap

Awareness about the gender pay gap is improving, but confusion remains. Almost half (47%) of respondents still mistake pay inequality for the gender pay gap. Equal pay is a legal requirement, meaning men and women must receive the same pay for the same work or different work of equal or comparable value.

“The gender pay gap, by contrast, is a structural issue,” explains Amy Rogers, pay equality and cultural change expert with Elevate Consulting. “It’s calculated as the difference between the average or median pay of women and men across an organisation, so even if men and women are paid equally for the same roles, the gap reflects broader workforce patterns,” she says.

“It is driven by organisational characteristics such as the proportion of women in senior roles, the gender balance of part-time and casual work, women’s overall workforce participation and the proportion of women versus men taking parental leave.

“All of these factors influence how much women are able to work, the value we assign to their contribution and, ultimately, how much they are paid,” says Rogers.

Jo Cribb, co-founder of New Zealand organisation Still Minding the Gap, stresses why this matters and that employers have a duty to their shareholders, stakeholders or owners to use their resources – including their workforce – as effectively as possible.

“Looking at the gender pay gap really asks the bigger questions. Is this workplace fair? Who’s getting the management jobs? Who’s getting the training and development? Who’s getting promoted and who isn’t?” says Cribb.

Business case for fairness

Narrowing the gender pay gap also aligns with broader economic progress. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2025, economies that make decisive progress towards gender parity position themselves for stronger and more resilient growth, even amid global uncertainty.

“Improving gender equality benefits all staff, not just women, by creating a workplace that is fairer, safer and more supportive for everyone,” says Rogers.

This business case is reflected in the 2025/26 CA ANZ Remuneration Survey. Fair pay emerges as the top workplace benefit for both women and men. When employees feel fairly compensated, they are equally likely to stay but when pay is perceived as unfair, women are more likely to leave, putting critical talent at risk.

According to McCurdy, in Australia the legal requirement for WGEA to publish gender pay gaps for organisations with more than 100 employees is compelling executives and boards to intervene in a meaningful way.

“They must ensure that their stakeholders, of which employees are a massive part, are having a gender-equal experience and they are accountable. It is public. It is transparent,” she says.

While mandatory reporting in New Zealand is still to come, the pressure on employers is coming from other sectors. Younger employees are particularly attuned to fairness, says Teresa Lee from the Gender at Work team at YWCA Auckland.

“Gen Z will soon make up 30% of the workforce, yet only 14% intend to remain in workplaces without visible diversity, equity and inclusion [DEI] strategies.

“That figure jumps to 73% in workplaces with visible DEI policies and practices,” she says. “People want to stay with employers who are fair, who are trustworthy, who are leading in diversity and gender equality.”

And it is up to employers to create the conditions that will attract and retain staff.

“Employers can implement clear remuneration structures that staff understand and feel safe discussing, adopt best-practice hiring practices such as setting pay based on the role rather than prior salary, and increase transparency through pay gap reporting and including pay ranges in job advertisements,” says Lee.

Cribb adds a stark warning: “Generations coming into the workforce are not going to accept a pay gap … if you want workers in five years’ time, sort your gap out now.”

Measure your gender pay gap – what gets measured gets managed!

The 2025/26 Remuneration Survey shows strong member support for action: 61% of respondents believe CA ANZ should advocate on the issue, with women nearly 1.5 times more likely to back advocacy. Plus, 53% of those wanting CA ANZ advocacy also want resources to help employers measure and address gaps.

There is a range of free tools and resources available to all employers, including specific advice for small businesses, on how to calculate and address the pay gap in any organisation:

• WGEA (Australia)
• Ministry for Women (New Zealand)
• CA ANZ’s Gender Equity Hub

CA ANZ also supports employers with guidance and practical frameworks, including our Narrowing Your Gender Pay Gap Playbook.

Read the full CA ANZ 2025/26 Remuneration Survey findings here.