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?