#FFS The Latest Pay Gap Figures Are In

In modern day society, you can answer your doorbell from your smartphone, zap your body hairless and tap your life savings into oblivion. So why are we STILL battling with the monotonous and downright draining topic of equal pay? It is no secret that this has been at the forefront of the business industry for many years, but it does not seem that this problem is subsiding any time soon. 

According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) women are still, on average earning approximately $27,000 less than men. These women as well, are sticking to female dominated industries despite the apparent pushes to venture into more male dominated industries to satisfy the notion of gender diversity.

WGEA also raised the issue of CEO positions, being comprised of only 16.3% women. Last time we checked there was a fairly even spread of males to females in Australia. In an article written by the ABC earlier this year, it raised the issue that in the top 200 ASX companies the CEO list had 32 men named John, 32 named Peter and 21 named David, whilst the entire female component of that list made up 19 names.

As a young woman still studying at university and looking to my mark in the business world, it is somewhat disheartening to learn of these statistics. Both men and women go to the same universities, pay the same fees to and learn the same content in their respective degrees. It seems that this equal playing field is completely wiped as soon as graduates move into the real world.

Despite the small number of female CEOs, there are women that are pioneers in this industry and make a difference every day. Women like these may still be the minority, but we are able to draw inspiration from them and show men and women alike that we are all #babeswithballs.

At Health Lab, we refuse to believe that women will never be able to close this gap which is one of the reasons we have started the Fuelling Female Success program. FFS will provide a platform for our girls in schools to learn about female entrepreneurship and inspire their careers through storytelling, mentorship and role modelling of successful Australian business women. Learn more about Fuelling Female Success here.