Abstract
Australias social protection regime, implemented during the 20th century through wage, taxation and social security systems, has been both an enemy and a friend of gender equality. Social protection in Australia was underpinned from 1907 by a wage earners welfare statea wage regulatory system that mandated a basic wage for employed men, single or married (Castles 1985). State and federal wage tribunals set these wage standard at levels sufficient to support a family at a reasonable standard of living. However, these family wage fixing arrangements allowed female employees to be paid just half the male rate. Gender wage inequality thus lowered employer costs and made the family wage more economically feasible, but also institutionalised womens economic dependence on a male breadwinner, and reinforced gender roles in unpaid household work and care.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Tax, Social Policy and Gender: Rethinking Equality and Efficiency |
| Editors | Miranda Stewart |
| Place of Publication | Canberra |
| Publisher | ANU Press |
| Pages | 161-205 |
| Volume | 1 |
| Edition | 1st |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781760461485 |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |