A recent study highlights a significant gender earnings gap in Australia and Germany, revealing that men earn substantially more than women due to long hours worked by male employees. In Australian dual income households, men take home an average $536 per week more than their female counterparts. Taken together, this results in an extremely large earnings gap of 26.4%. This gap is indicative of a larger trend that sees women making just three-quarters of men’s wages.
Our research highlights that long working hours are a key factor behind this growing income gap. In both countries, men simply work more hours and this explains almost half of the earnings gap. Simultaneously, women unconsciously absorb the operational impact of their husbands’ long-standing devotion to their work. The research indicates that if men’s work hours were closer to Australia’s legislated 38-hour workweek, the earnings gap could noticeably decrease.
The Earnings Gap Explained
In Australia, we have a gender earnings gap of 26.4%. Women, on average, earn only $800 per week compared to $1,336 per week for men’s earnings. To put it mildly, this sobering gap highlights the pervasive racism and gender discrimination that continue to plague our workplaces.
In Germany, it’s the same story as in Australia with a €400 per week earnings gap. This invisible gap is part of a wider pattern across the economy in which women’s work is underpaid and in many cases unpaid. The results show that the gender earnings gap isn’t as straightforward as it seems. This means disparities in hourly wage rates as well as hours worked.
The study reveals a significant weekly work hour gap: Australian men work an average of 5.1 hours more than their female counterparts, while in Germany, this figure rises to 6.9 hours. These unpaid hours add directly to the wage gap between men and women.
Impact of Long Work Hours
One of the most important and concerning findings from the research was the impact of long work hours on family life and relationships. In many households, a job requiring long hours creates a burden on the partner who must manage additional household responsibilities. This too frequently sets off a pay- and life-work-compromise cycle that punishes women on both fronts.
The model developed by researchers suggests that if men worked fewer hours and women worked more, there would be a more equitable distribution of household duties. This long-overdue change would mean that women make more and men make less, helping to close the total earnings gap.
That cultural pressure to pursue high-stress, all-consuming careers is costing men, too. Many employees juggle multiple responsibilities. In Australia, one in three employees care for children, while 13% of part-time and 11% of full-time workers provide care for others. These numbers only underscore an urgent need for a cultural shift in how we view work and family responsibilities. We need to purposefully change the way these duties are divided between people.
A Path Towards Equality
Eliminating the gender earnings gap will take focused action to change workplace culture and norms regarding work hours and availability. What the research demonstrates is that when men work fewer hours, ideally just 41 hours a week, it really helps. In contrast, with women working an average of just 36 hours per week, this increase would remove the need for any “time-shifting.” This would go a long way to lifting some of the double shifts imposed on women who frequently juggle household responsibilities with their work obligations.
Their ability to “swap” hours between them makes a crucial difference in closing their earnings gap. By recognizing that both partners contribute equally to household responsibilities, workplaces can foster environments that support flexible working arrangements, allowing time for caregiving without sacrificing career advancement.