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An Australian startup company is currently offering women a 16.2% discount on their travel insurance in an effort to combat the persistent issue of wage disparity.
Coinciding with the lead up to International Women’s Day, Travel With Jane has announced that it will be offering its female clientele an innovative Gender Pay Gap Discount on all travel insurance policies in order to raise awareness regarding this continuing problem. At 16.2%, the concession directly reflects Australia’s national gender wage gap, as identified by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency.
“To our knowledge, our Gender Pay Gap Discount is a world first,” explained Ben Webster, co-founder of Travel With Jane. Women currently account for two thirds of travel insurance policy purchases nationwide, and Webster argues that, “Until (wage) parity is achieved, we think it’s only fair that Australian businesses that profess to care about their female customers, cover the gap.”
Australia was ranked 46th in the world in a recent study by the World Economic Forum, which assessed income disparity and female participation in the workforce. According to the index, Scandinavian countries performed the best, with Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden all taking out the top spots. The report also warned that based off of current trends, women would be waiting an estimated 170 years before achieving equal pay.
Australian women definitely need a break from the frustrating reality that they will be expected to wait almost two centuries for income parity with their male counterparts, so perhaps a quick sojourn to utopian Scandinavia is in order, and what better time to travel.
Travel With Jane’s offer is generously available until March 2019.
