The honourable minister's weak math and logic skills, and disingenuous arguments, as evidenced in this article, were a more likely driver of her bottom 10% pay than any alleged systemic issues.

Of the 1880 regular CRC appointments, women represent just under 31% of the total applicants and hold slightly more than 28% of the Chairs, representing at most an 8.5% difference between the expected allocation and the actual.

Not nearly as dire as the inveigled 'gap' between the 31% actual and ~50% female population at large.

Moreover, the CRC's own rules were actually punitive to women by excluding/restricting applicants with CV gaps (maternity leave) and those who'd earned their PhD's more than 10 years prior.   That's the fault of the gov't, not universities.

That the real gap is <10% despite these factors indicates that the environment is far more egalitarian and supportive than the minister claims.