Written in 1980, 9 to 5 could have been penned yesterday. The world has shifted in many ways, but for women, so much remains heartbreakingly familiar. The unpaid labour. The undervaluation. The constant climb up a ladder that seems stacked against us. And the statistics? They’re damning.
At 20, women in Australia are already on the back foot, earning 2.6% less than their male counterparts, according to recent reports. Fast forward to our mid-50s, and that gap balloons to a staggering 32.6%. Over a lifetime, this isn’t just a disparity—it’s a haemorrhage of opportunity, compounded by the burden of unpaid care work, a force so immense it often goes unmeasured.
Dolly sings about pouring herself a “cup of ambition,” but for most women, ambition is not enough. Before the paid workday begins, we’ve already clocked hours of unpaid labour—an average of over 5 hours daily, according to the UN. That’s three times what men contribute. From folding the laundry to packing school lunches, this invisible work keeps the wheels turning but comes at a cost: our energy, our hobbies, and yes, our earning potential.
