Methodist Ladies’ College (MLC) continues to be a workplace grounded in the values of the Uniting Church and deeply committed to empowering girls and young women through an exceptional and holistic all girls’ education. As an employer of more than 400 staff, we remain dedicated to creating an environment where every employee, regardless of gender, has equitable access to opportunity, professional growth, and purposeful contribution. Our commitment to gender equality is foundational to the culture we seek to uphold and to the community we serve.

MLC is pleased to submit our 2024–25 data to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA).  

MLC’s Gender Pay Gap Summary (2024–2025)

For the 2024–25 reporting year, MLC’s gender pay gap results, as published in our WGEA Industry Benchmark Report, recorded an average total remuneration gender pay gap of 16.7%, and a median total remuneration gender pay gap of 27.5%. In the 2023 – 2024 WGEA data, MLC reported a gender pay gap of 13.9% and total remuneration gender pay gap of 27.5%.  

While minor variations occur year-to-year, our gender pay gap remains largely shaped by the composition of our workforce, which continues to be predominantly female, a characteristic common to the education sector. 

Contributing Factors to MLC’s Gender Pay Gap

Several structural factors continue to influence MLC’s gender pay gap results:

1. High representation of women in casual and parttime roles

The education and care sectors remain highly feminised, a pattern reflected in our Early Learning Centre and co-curricular program staffing. These areas include significant numbers of part-time and casual roles, which are often filled by women and typically fall within lower paid remuneration bands. It is noted that across the nation, salaries in these categories of employment are in the lower pay range.

2. Gender composition of nonmanager roles

Nonmanager roles across the College, including education support, community services, early learning and administrative positions, continue to show a strong female majority. This mirrors national trends and directly influences our aggregated pay gap data. 

3. Distribution across pay quartiles

Our benchmarking report shows a higher concentration of female employees in the lower and middle pay quartiles. This distribution pattern reflects the structure of our workforce rather than unequal pay for equal roles.

4. Managerial representation remains strong

Women continue to be well represented across management categories at MLC. This includes Key Management Personnel and Middle Management roles, which aligns with our commitment to developing women in leadership. While this representation is a positive indicator, the relatively small number of male employees in these groups can influence gender pay gap calculations. 

5. Historic and sector wide gender patterns

The education sector has long demonstrated gendered patterns of employment, particularly in teaching, pastoral care, and student services roles. These remain key contextual drivers in our overall results. 

Action Taken by MLC to Support Gender Equality (2024–2025)

MLC remains committed to meaningful and sustained action. During 2024–25, we focused on the following initiatives:

1. Ongoing analysis of pay equity

The College continues to analyse payroll data to identify any role specific or level specific remuneration discrepancies. This remains an important mechanism in monitoring equity across our workforce. 

2. Strengthened recruitment and selection processes

Our recruitment and selection practices are regularly reviewed to ensure fairness, transparency, and gender inclusive approaches. This includes refining role descriptions, mitigating bias in shortlisting, and ensuring diverse interview panels where appropriate.

3. Inclusive parental leave and workplace flexibility

MLC continues to provide paid parental leave and superannuation on paid leave, ensuring equitable access to workplace benefits. We also support a range of flexible work arrangements, which remain widely utilised across the College. 

4. Continued consultation with staff

Our staff consultative processes contribute to policy review and development, supporting ongoing dialogue around equity, safety, and inclusion.

5. Collection and reporting of key gender equality indicators

Consistent with WGEA expectations, we collect and report data related to gender composition, workplace culture, and workplace climate safety indicators. 

Employees are surveyed annually to enable staff to share feedback. 

MLC’s Ongoing Commitment to Gender Equality

Looking ahead, MLC remains committed to strengthening gender equality through a strategic focus on: 

– Enhancing pathways into leadership roles for women
– Supporting early career educators through professional learning and mentoring
– Regularly reviewing policies to ensure equitable practice
– Ensuring gender equality and inclusion remain core pillars of our strategic renewal processes 

These commitments reflect our belief that a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace enhances our ability to serve our students, families, and wider community. 

Conclusion

MLC remains dedicated to building a workplace that upholds fairness, inclusion, and equity for all employees. We recognise the complexity behind gender pay gap results and will continue to interrogate our workforce data to identify opportunities for improvement. Our commitment to gender equality is central to who we are as a community and to the transformational education we provide. 

We look forward to sharing our progress in future reporting cycles.