In Melbourne's inner north childcare workers pushed their point for better pay rates by walking off the job at 3.20pm on March 8.
They say from that time each day, they essentially work for free anyway.
They earn about twenty dollars an hour.
Childcare worker Narelle Lawton says it comes at a personal cost.
"Those hours after 3.20pm, pretty much, we're working for the love of our job and we do love our job, but love does not pay our bills, it doesn't pay our mortgages. The role we play in childrens' lives is just fundamental. Yes, it's important for children to have time at home, but it's also important for children to be in early education."
The unions helped organise the protests in each state and territory - and they warn there will likely be more industrial action in the months ahead.
The President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Ged Kearney, says it's time for the Prime Minister to intervene
"There is high turnover in this sector, there is disenfranchisement, there's low morale. That cannot mean that there is high quality child care and ultimately that is the aim of our early childhood educators who work in that sector. So, we are whole heartedly supporting their action and we hope that it results in an outcome that means they can earn a decent wage, that they can be respected in our society and that they can deliver quality care."
The issues in the childcare industry are another reminder of the gender pay gap in general.
The federal opposition leader Bill Shorten says the equal treatment of women appears more elusive than ever.
"If the child care sector was full of men workers, I don't believe their pay would be as low as it is. We entrust our youngest, our very youngest, in our society to child care workers to early years educators. It's the first big time that little children leave their home and their families and we put them in the care and education of early years educators. I think they're worth more than they're getting paid at the moment."
On average, a man in full-time work earns about 260-dollars more than a woman each week.
In executive roles and management positions, the difference is even wider.
Gender equality expert Dr Elizabeth Hill says lack of workplace flexibility, access to suitable childcare and generous paid parental leave are contributing factors.
"I think the other thing that's quite particular to Australia that we, compared to our comparator economies have very long working hours - particularly amongst those professional ranks. And it's just impossible in a single household to have two people working at that level."
There is a push for change in some industries, though.
The Australian Institute of Company Directors looks on track to meet a 30 per cent target for women on stock exchange boards by the end of next year.
Chief Executive, John Brogden, says the biggest advantage is providing companies with much needed diversity.
"If we have a board that all look and sound the same, then we will not have diverse organisations and we won't have diverse thinking. This is not simply about gender, it's about diversity of thinking and diversity of experience that you bring to the board table. What our research shows is that the greater diversity on a board, the better the performance, so there is a direct link, this isn't just a good idea, it's good for business."
The Australian Prime Minister has also helped the cause - soon after taking the top job, Malcolm Turnbull appointed Australia's first ever female Defence Minister.
Addressing dozens of female defense force personnel in Canberra on Wednesday, March 8, he said:
"Gender equality is not just an issue for women. It's a responsibility of all Australians, not least because all Australians benefit. When you empower a woman, you empower a family, you empower a nation."
But the end goal is a long way off.
The gender pay gap is not predicted to close entirely for another 169 years.
