Australia's national gender pay gap is 21.1% on total remuneration. That's $28,356 per year that the average woman in full-time employment earns less than the average man, according to WGEA's 2024-25 Gender Equality Scorecard. The debate around this number is almost always framed as a fairness issue. Fairness is the right starting point. The commercial argument is the one that tends to stall - and it deserves more rigorous treatment than it usually gets. The gender pay gap is