Dentons' gender pay gap reduction effort recognised by WGEA

Dentons’ gender pay gap reduction effort has received recognition from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA).

The WGEA described Dentons as a frontrunner in the professional services sector in this regard after its Gender Equality Scorecard revealed that Dentons had reported a gender pay gap of just 5.6% – significantly lower than the Australian average of 21.7%.

Among the initiatives introduced by Dentons to narrow the pay gap was its Agile Working Policy, which the firm said was critical to eliminating barriers to flexibility. According to the firm's September 2022 Engagement Survey, 89% of employees reported having the necessary flexibility to sustain work-life balance.

In addition, Dentons lifted barriers to partnership regardless of role and took steps to ensure that the compensation benefits of employees in the same position were within 1% of one another. COO Maureen Migliazzo attributed the firm's success not just to its commitment to gender equity, but also to its understanding of the reasons behind gender pay gaps.   

“Diversity and equity form a core part of our strategy, which is why we have been able to successfully implement initiatives that have led to true, positive outcomes for our employees and our organisation,” said Doug Stipanicev, Dentons Australia chair and Australasia region CEO. “Equity and inclusion will remain a focus for us, and we will continue to work with WGEA to further gender equity at Dentons, and the legal profession.” 

The WGEA 2023 Gender Equality Scorecard examines 2022-2023 data reported by private sector employers with 100 or more employees in WGEA’s annual Employer Census.

Last year, Dentons was named a WGEA Employer of Choice for the third consecutive year. In addition, Dentons is also one of the top Australian law firms in terms of revenue.