A new playbook has been launched to combat the gender pay gap in the accounting sector, with efforts to change the perception around why it is important to address the gap.
There's a commercial imperative around closing a business's pay gap, accountants are being told. Photo: prazis/123RF
Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand said it follows a remuneration survey last year, which found a $60,000 gender pay gap remains in Aotearoa.
That is despite more women entering the profession compared to men.
CA ANZ general manager for member engagement Joe Consedine said the new playbook focused on education and introduced a five-step process to address the pay gap.
The steps are: conducting a gender pay gap analysis, considering the causes, building a business case for closing the gap, actions to close the gap and embedding diversity and change culture.
Consedine said building a business case was a "critical" step in addressing the pay gap.
"We're looking to change the narrative away from this is about being fair, and [instead] saying there's a real commercial imperative around closing your pay gap.
"It will allow your organisation to attract top talent and all of the global research is showing that pay parity across organisations equals stronger performances at every level ... including financials so changing that narrative is away from it's just the right thing to do," he said.
Consedine said there were "frank conversations" after CA ANZ published the results of its last remuneration survey.
"The power of this playbook is that it's practical, concise, and contains guidance that can be used every day. It draws on the challenges our members have faced, and the changes they've made to address them," he said.
CA ANZ chief executive Ainslie van Onselen said it was still in its early stages of work on the issue.
"[CA ANZ is] determined to be vocal, to track and to fix this issue as part of our broader strategy for accounting to be a more diverse and inclusive profession," she said.