Policies

Equal Pay

The SDA supports the principle of equal pay for work of equal value. Equal pay should exist in all areas of remuneration including wages, loadings, commissions and bonuses.

The SDA recognises that the work performed by women in traditionally female occupations has long been undervalued when compared with areas of traditional male employment.

The reason for this lies largely in the fact that this work, mainly in service and "caring" occupations, is viewed as an extension of the work which has always been performed by women in the home, and which has not been recognised as having any value to society.

The SDA therefore advocates moves which will recognise the true value of all work performed by women in paid and unpaid employment by:

• Comparability of earnings for those occupations which require similar knowledge, skill, effort and responsibility;
• Inclusion of all work performed by women, whether paid or unpaid, in the Gross Domestic Product;
• Payment of a homemaker's allowance.