FULL-TIME working women earned $310 less a week than men last year and were more than twice as likely to be employed part-time.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reviewed the country's 9.9 million workers employed last May and found 43% of women worked full-time, compared to 76% of men.

Women with full-time jobs earned $1370 a week (after tax) on average, while their male counterparts pulled in $1680.

The nation's gender gap came under scrutiny last year, when the World Economic Forum revealed Australia had dropped to 24th in the world in terms of equalising the male-female societal balance, down from its 15th-spot ranking in 2006.

This time around, Australia was named 14th in the world for economic gender equality and first in the world for female education.

It was let down by its female health and survival level (70th in the world) and political empowerment (53rd).

The ABS study, released yesterday, found a quarter of all Australian employees earned $1532 or more a week, and one-in-four full-time workers were paid $1850 or more, after tax.

The ACT had the highest average adult weekly wage at $1420, regardless of full-time or part-time work status, while Tasmanians languished on the lowest pay rate of $1045. 

NET AVERAGE WEEKLY CASH WAGES FOR ADULTS

Australian Capital Territory - $1420

Northern Territory - $1390

Western Australia - $1365

New South Wales - $1280

Queensland - $1230

Victoria - $1165

South Australia - $1145

Tasmania - $1045

AUSTRALIA - $1245