Half of Australia’s top business women paid less than their male counterparts

HALF of Australia’s top business women are paid less than their male counterparts. And 30 per cent say their peers are too soft when negotiating.

Unfair ... 30 per cent of corporate women say female workers should “toughen up” in wage negotiations. Picture: Demid Borodin

HALF of Australia’s elite business women say they have been paid less than their male counterparts for the same job because of their gender.

And while 49 per cent say employers must be more active in closing the pay gap, nearly 30 per cent believe women need to toughen up in pay negotiations to win a better deal.

The findings are from a survey of 140 state and territory finalists in this year’s Telstra Business Women’s Awards, which culminates tomorrow night in Melbourne.

Nine of 10 women said having the right connections in business was critical or important to the success of their businesses.

The importance of engaging with strong role models was emphasised by 83 per cent of the women with three-quarters saying they had been critical to their success.

The wideranging survey also found that women were less likely to trumpet their achievements than men and were more likely to recognise success in others than in their own endeavours.

When it came to leadership qualities, integrity was high on the list with more than 50 per cent valuing integrity and honesty.

Six of the eight state and territory finalists chose integrity as the most important quality of the leader.

Tasmanian-based Beth Mathison, a director of Centaur Business Networks and a finalist, said integrity was paramount to her success.

“I am a consultant and I go into a lot of different businesses. I have 65 clients and I like to be reliable and very credible and, most importantly, to be very honest in all my relationships,” she said.

“My clients trust me to give them good advice,” she said.

Ms Mathison said she would always provide advice to clients even if it was not in her own interests.

South Australian-based finalist Kate Thiele, who is the chief executive of Guide Dogs SA and Northern Territory, said mentors were integral to her success.

“The melting pot of ideas from many mentors has been my greatest source of inspiration — from thought leaders right through to my children and their view of the world. Their ideas challenge me and ignite a creative energy to think about what is possible.”

New South Wales-based finalist Captain Mona Shindy, an officer in the Royal Australian Navy, is one of the 60 per cent of finalists who said they were forging their way in a male-dominated workplace and were thankful that the awards shone a light on the challenges women faced.

“Firstly, having people see, understand and acknowledge the difficulty of the journey I have been on and appreciate the tenacity and skills needed to succeed is very satisfying. It is better than any financial reward or pat on the back you can give yourself,” Captain Shindy said.

Originally published as Half of Australia’s top business women paid less than their male counterparts