The release of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) pay gap data last week has shone a light on pay disparity in larger Australian businesses.
According to the report, Australia’s total remuneration average gender pay gap is 21.7%. For every $1 on average a man makes, a woman earns 78 cents. Over a year, that difference adds up to $26,393.
Detmold Group, a South Australian-owned and operated manufacturer of paper and board packaging solutions, is leading the way in gender pay parity and gender equality in a typically male-dominated industry.
According to public results of gender pay gap data, Detmold Group reported a 3.2% difference in median total remuneration. For context, manufacturers in the same subdivision as Detmold Group pay women 15.2% less on average than men, as reported on WGEA’s data exporter.
Detmold Group WGEA data
Kathleen Johnson, Group General Manager of People and Culture at Detmold Group says, “We have been cognisant of this issue for many years, and we are constantly reviewing and adjusting our policies, which has brought us to this great result.
“We will continue to work through strategies to ensure continuous improvement.
“We have always had a mindset of inclusion as a family-owned business and strive to ensure fairness in all we do without bias,” said Johnson.
In November 2023, Detmold Group announced Sascha Detmold Cox had been appointed to the role of CEO, the first female in the role in the manufacturer’s 76-year history.
“Sascha’s transition into the role has been seamless and has validated our culture that proudly champions the inclusion of women,” said Johnson.
Sascha Detmold Cox — CEO, Detmold Group
According to WGEA’s data at the time of reporting, 37% of Detmold Group employees were women. This compares to an average total female workforce of 24% industry-wide.
For a notoriously male-dominated industry, Detmold is leading the way.
“As well as having a female CEO, our board has a gender-equal board, with representation from Pippa and Zoe Detmold alongside Sascha.
“We have always had a good balance of gender in multiple roles; however, as part of our ongoing continuous improvement, we ensure equal opportunity for applicants both internal and external,” Ms Johnson added.
Australia-wide, only 10% of CEOs in manufacturing are women, and 25% of key management personnel are women.
This low spectrum of representation is trumped by an overrepresentation of women in administrative roles. 83% of clerical and administrative workers in manufacturing are women, and 61% in sales roles are women.
“We have a good cross-section at Detmold with female machine operators and other technical roles.
“We work to have good mobility of talent across the business to provide opportunities based on skills and strengths regardless of gender,” Ms Johnson added.
In the spirit of transparency, the CEO of Detmold Group is Sascha Detmold Cox, who also serves as Chair of the South Australian Business Chamber. However, it’s important to clarify that our selection of Detmold Group as the subject of this report is not influenced by Sascha’s leadership role within the Chamber. Sascha’s ascension to Chair does have correlations with values demonstrating a commitment to operating a business that champions equality among its core values.
