marie claire
Daisy and Edward are both in student advisers in the education industry however their salaries are vastly different.
Daisy, 26, and Edward, 29, are student advisers in the education industry in Melbourne. Here, they reveal their salaries to each other.
Edward and Daisy work for the same company. Although Edward is older, he’s only been at the company – and in the industry – for 10 months, while Daisy’s been working there for nearly four years.
Edward: “I would figure that everyone in our position would be earning the same amount. Our responsibilities are the same.”
Daisy: “Or, if not the same, I guess people who have been at the company longer would perhaps be earning a little bit more.”
E: “Yeah, I guess that Daisy is probably earning a little more, given that she’s been there three years longer.”
The truth?
Edward earns $10,000 more than Daisy.
D: “Wow, that sucks!”
E: “I feel bad. That was just what I was offered when I started.”
D: “That makes it even worse! I was pretty much forced to move from casual to full-time, and the company made it seem like this was just the standard pay. Did you negotiate?”
E: “I didn’t negotiate, but I did mention, when I had the job interview, that I expected to get at least this amount.”
D: “We never even discussed pay when I was offered the job – it didn’t come to that. I do know that the rate I’m on is the lowest in the entire industry, but I’ve just waited to get a pay rise.”
E: “Actually, that is one thing that I think is a bit sexist. I’ve only been there 10 months and I’ve been offered a more senior position. But they never approach women to move into more senior roles.”
*The official gender pay gap is officially 18.8%, according to The Workplace Gender Equality Agency.
