Mind the gap: women still chasing pay equality

A century after marching the streets demanding equal pay for equal work, women still earn just 84 per cent of their male counterparts, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. And at 64 per cent, the numbers are even worse for those in part-time work.

"Often in the corporate and business world your pay says something about where you sit in the hierarchy and as a general rule we feel that people who are paid more matter more. Not only do you have the disadvantage of the pay gap, there's also the perception of disadvantage which adds to the problem for women." Says Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, "When we look at what the ideal worker looks like in Australian workplaces, good research shows it is someone who's available 24/7, with no visible caring responsibilities, and as a result of that it usually means male."

Do you think the pay gap between genders is alive and well in Australian Culture and society perpetuates this? Or do you think high flying women like Gail Kelly and Gina Rinehart are becoming more the norm?