The CommSec report released yesterday also shows that the female wage is just 82.1 per cent of the male wage - the smallest proportion in 25 years. Report author Savanth Sebastian, an economist at CommSec, called the gap ''surprising and alarming''.
''We've known for some time that males have been earning a higher wage than females but the gap seems to be widening at a faster pace,'' he said.
Mr Sebastian said the disparity was partially a factor of the rising demand for labour in male-dominated sectors such as mining and construction. According to the report, Western Australia has the highest average annual wage at just under $80,000.
Dr Jo Lindsay, of the Centre for Women's Studies and Gender Research at Monash University, said she was disappointed to hear the wage gap had reached such a historic point. With increased childcare costs and ''patchy'' support for working mothers, Dr Lindsay said some mothers could not go for the same positions as men.
''Women with children are unable to compete with jobs that are requiring people to spend very long hours in work,'' she said.
''They are also much more likely to go part-time and reduce hours to look after their children while they're young.''
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