Most Australians would be aware that there is a problem with gender and money. Or, more specifically, inequalities between men and women when it comes to both spending and earning.
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Women take to the streets of Melbourne
Wearing pink pussy hats and waving handpainted placards, women took to Melbourne's streets to fight for equal pay, reproductive rights and an end to family violence for International Women's Day on Wednesday.
The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), based on ABS data, reported last week that women working full time earn 16 per cent less than men working full time.
Governments try to do something about this with laws and agencies, and many employers address it too. At my organisation, Yellow Brick Road, I've made sure we have programs so that women have equal opportunities and remuneration. Most financial services companies are doing their bit.
![The Workplace Gender Equality Agency says that in 2016 women earned on average $26,000 less in total remuneration than ...](/web/20170314130808im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/t/p/f/7/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.guu4sw.png/1489129799033.jpg)
But we can all do more.
Pay
Women can ask for better salaries – or at least the same as earned by men in their workplace. They can ask to see their employer's published pay grades. They can join industry, professional and networking groups, and unions, where they can meet mentors and gain an outside view of the job. Men can play their part: if they own companies or are senior managers they can adhere to their own pay policies.
Career
A 2016 report from the Australian National University's Centre for Social Research and Methods used tax data to determine the careers with the biggest wage gaps. The biggest were barrister, financial dealer, electrician and surgeon, while women earn more than men in bookkeeping, kitchen hand, receptionist and dental assistant. From an industry perspective, public administration and safety has the lowest wage gap, at 7 per cent. It's worth women looking at which career will reward them.
Pathway
The WGEA found that in 2015, more than 51 per cent of employees in the financial services and insurance industries were women, but they comprised only 37 per cent of managers. Similar problems exist across workplaces. In most organisations, there are programs that develop employees into managers and team leaders. If someone doesn't nominate you, then put up your hand. If you're a senior person making these decisions, why are more women not being put into these pathways?
Pink Tax
"Female" and "pink" items usually cost more. In the US, the typical gender price gap is estimated as 7 per cent. You can shop in the men's sections and avoid pink products and you can tell companies what you think of their pricing and refuse to buy from them. Find a way to not pay the Pink Tax.
Turn the tables
One of the problems in the gender pay gap is work hours; 69 per cent of men are employed full-time compared with 41 per cent of women. Women juggling to get back into the workforce should remember that they can sell their part-time and contract work as "flexibility". Some organisations want that. The key is to have a skill and some experience.
There are no easy solutions to the gender pay gap. Some of it is cultural, some is economic and some of it is social.
Things are improving, but remember to be as educated and trained as you can be and never say no to a course that teaches you something.
Good luck.