Insurance ranks near the top of Australian industries for allowing discrepancies in remuneration between men and women.

Across all industries, Australian men still out-earn women on average by $25,534 a year, or 20%.

In general insurance, the gap is 23.2%, the Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s latest annual survey has found.

That was narrower than in construction (26.1%) and banking (24.7%), but wider than most other industries, including agriculture, forestry and fishing (22.5%), transport, postal and warehousing (18.7%), accounting (17.5%) and metal ore mining (13.1%).

Women make up just 18% of CEOs and 28% of board members in Australia, and in general insurance the percentages are only 13.5% and 25%.

Agency Director Libby Lyons says gender balance at the top levels of leadership is still decades away, describing progress as “glacial,” and the overall survey results suggest employers are in the grip of ‘gender equality fatigue.’

“Even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I was concerned that Australian employers had become complacent,” Ms Lyons said. “I’m very disappointed that almost nothing has changed this year. It appears to me that Australian employers are on autopilot when it comes to improving gender equality.”

Organisations with a combined 4.3 million employees, or more than 40% of Australia’s workforce, were surveyed in the year to March 31. The General Insurance category has 48,541 employees within 40 organisations.

Ms Lyons says that without increased employer action, Australia is likely to erode gains achieved over the past few years.

The survey found 45% of all organisations took no action to address their gender pay gap.

“This trend must not continue,” she said. “Experience tells us that when employers measure their data, identify the problem areas and take action to address them, the pay gap closes.”

On a positive note, 75% of employers are promoting flexible work, and for the first time in seven years more than 50% of organisations offer paid primary carer’s leave. General insurance excelled in this area, with 83% of employers offering paid primary carer’s leave for both men and women.

Ms Lyons urged all employers to “redouble their efforts” in driving better gender equality outcomes, noting that only 38% of full-time workers are female.