A photo of a Aus$7 (US$5.20) "Dad" piggy bank alongside a smaller, slightly cheaper "Mum" model sold in the mint's gift shop was recently posted online, alongside a caption drily suggesting the pair were part of a "gender pay gap" product line.

It sparked fierce debate on news sharing website Reddit, where the photo appeared, and arguments over differences in income levels between men and women.

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Some commenters claimed the pigs reinforced stereotypes, while others saw an opportunity to poke fun at the debate.  

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"I'm actually kind of sad that the left bank doesn't say 'blokes' and the right bank doesn't say 'sheilas'," posted one user.

The Royal Australian Mint said Wednesday it had changed the names to "large", "medium" and a third smaller "baby" money box to "small".

"The piggy banks were renamed as the Royal Australian Mint does not wish to cause any offense," a mint spokesperson told AFP, despite the gender labels "resonating" with their family following.

"The terms 'Dad', 'Mum' and 'Baby' represented the size of the piggy banks and were not a comment on gender inequality," the mint said.

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