The latest average weekly ordinary time earnings (AWOTE) showed this week that the average male earnings jumped ahead by 5.2 per cent to $1172.20 while female wages only grew 4.8 per cent to $980.70 in trend terms. Men are earning much more than women, with the average male wage rising earning to almost $10,000 more than their female counterparts.

These are incredible figures. I can only presume this refects the male focused dominance of the mining sector in Australia. But I also believe that women are still not choosing the high earning executive pathways that so many men pursue.  In fact many women I talk to seem to be heading back down the pathways of their grandmothers and only work because they have mortgages to pay. It is just too hard to work, have a family and pay for childcare.

Well if this is the problem, what are we doing about it?

I was watching Neighbours on Television a couple of nights ago and they were tackling a major womens' issue - the belief that young women who want kids should take on a lesser role so as not to impede the progress of their 'female with balls' counterparts. In this particular episode, a young soon to be lawyer was told quite firmly that you can't have it all and she should get out of the game so as not to make it harder for the other females who apparently want only to have a career.

The fact that this is being tackled in a show like this is fantastic. It shows the bias that some women do have towards their potential 'baby-making' counterparts. I have come across this a lot in industry. The very women who are supposed to support you and help you balance your career life with your family life are the obstacles in creating the culture that will make this happen.

I had a meeting with a very dear friend in a senior position in the mining industry who is going about it the right way. She says that the culture for work-life balance in her company is there but women aren't using it. These women are indoctrinated in the belief they have to work longer and harder to get the same rights as their male counterparts. The woman mine worker of the past was tough and did it the hard way.  Although this was true of industry, things are changing rapidly. Work life programs and benefits are for male and female alike and this is the perfect time to access them.

This wonderful young woman knows that she must be the role model for the women in her organisation to change their attitudes and beliefs. With programs, support and great role models, the change can begin. After all we work to live and as enjoyable as that is, it shouldn't be live to work!

If you believe everything you read, you would get the very strong impression that women are making great headway into the careerosphere. We are now apparently needed as the skills shortage grips a stripped corporate airspace. This is supposedly leading to more flexible hours, better childcare arrangements and a range of programs that will support our journey to the top. Pity that news hasn't hit the women working in these haloed positions.

Most of the woman I know are working their butts off for no extra pay and definitely no extra benefits. I am not sure why, but I think it something to do with the white male centric boardroom still in prominence.

Come on boys, get it together. Research shows that women are leaving corporate life in the droves to set up thriving home businesses. If something is not done I can guarantee that work life is going to get tight when the same woman who could have been promoted and supported in your business is now going into competition with your company!

This week I met a whole range of women - talented women with fabulous personalities and big futures. But most seemed so unsure of themselves. Why? It is like life has beaten the zing out of them. Husbands, children, full-time work , minor setbacks and a myriad of life's little challenges just make it seem inpossible.

Sometimes  I think all we need is someone to believe in us until our confidence has time to catch up with our dreams.  I know that because I have been through it over and over and over. Each time I have had to drag myself out of it little by little but only with the help of those around me.  Those who believed in me, not the knockers and certainly not the narrow-minded idiots who don't believe in anything but what they can see in front of them.   If I had listened to them, I would never have achieved anything.

To those women - and you know who you are - believe and you will succeed and don't let those around you tell you otherwise.

BTW a lovely young woman I met the other day introduced me to her wonderful blog.  Michelle is writing her first book and we all know how hard that is to do, especially with a full-time job. So let's get behind her and support her efforts: www.simonnemichelle.wordpress.com

I have just returned from a conference for school officers and registrars, where I presented workshops on values, organizational politics, career/life balance and future directions.  I presented at the same conference last year and I have to say that this is one special group of people - 120 women + 1 man!  They are, very often, the cement that holds schools together; they are multi-skilled and multi-talented; they work long and hard and party the same - just ask me about the conference dinner!!

They are a fabulous group to work with - they participate, they learn, they inquire and they challenge.  They take this professional learning seriously and they make the most of their opportunities to improve.  They also raise some very important issues -

* when we talk about career/life balance, and we put ourselves as our Number One priority, is that being selfish?

* when we talk about values, should we compromise our personal values to better align with those of our line manager or organization?

* how do we positively promote and brand ourselves within our workplace and our organization?

These are not issues peculiar to just this group - they are questions that many people ask, regardless of their status and position.

How would YOU answer them?