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WOMEN, MONEY, POWER | How much does it *really* cost to be a woman?

17th March 2023

A deep dive.

 

Last week, Travel Money Oz was lucky enough to attend the International Women’s Day event for She’s on the Money (with our friends at Rapid Media), as well as attend Flight Centre’s first Women-Wise IWD event since the pandemic, with special guests from Intrepid, Rex Airlines, and of course, top Flight Centre executives!

If you haven’t heard of She’s on the Money, it’s a podcast-turned-empire whose purpose is to make finance, easier.

In a time where Finance Bros dominate the industry and gatekeep the knowledge – She’s on the Money aims to breakdown the overwhelm to help beginners – especially women (and millennial women in particular) – get financially literate and empowered to take control of their finances.

And we definitely understand the importance of budgeting at Travel Money Oz.

It’s why we have our Travel Budget Calculator and numerous blogs (like our Money Management blogs and Travel Money Tips) dedicated to helping you get in charge of your finances so you have more extra money for an extra special holiday.

So we were thrilled to have the opportunity to learn from some of the amazing women absolutely killing it in the business and leading the way for women in finance!

We were also lucky to hear the advice top female leaders in the travel industry – from Yvette Thompson, the GM of Partnerships at Intrepid Travel; Ann Elliot, the GM of Sales at Rex Airlines; and Mel Waters-Ryan, the CEO of Supply at Flight Centre.

These three incredibly powerful and successful women had lots of advice for women in the workforce, and we’re here to share it with you.

Here’s what we learnt!

BEFORE WE DELVE IN | A Quick Guide to International Women’s Day

 

Do you know the history of International Women’s Day?

The first movements began in 1848 – women were barred from speaking at an anti-slavery convention in America, and so two American women, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, gathered a few hundred people with a Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions that demanded civil, social, political and religious rights for women.

Then, in New York in February 1909, women went on strike against the garment-manufacturing working conditions in New York.

The following year in Copenhagen, the Socialist International established a Women’s Day to honour the women’s rights movements and start a universal suffrage. 

In 1911, Women’s Day was celebrated in countries around Europe, demanding rights to work, vocational training, and ending discrimination on the job. In 1913-1917 women gathered to protest war. 

Now, it’s the United Nation (UN)’s agenda to achieve gender equality and empowerment for women and girls around the world – whether it be from preventable pregnancy-related causes (800 women die everyday), domestic violence (1 in 3 women experience physical or sexual violence), girl’s education, and women in the workplace. 

For us at Travel Money Oz, it’s women in the workplace and the gender pay gap that we can speak to, and we’ll leave the other important issues to the experts. 

After all, we’re money people!

THE PROBLEM | Getting Real About The Gender Pay Gap

 

Money, money, money
Must be funny
In a rich man's world.

Money, Money, Money by ABBA; released 1976.

It’s been nearly 50 years since ABBA released “Money, Money, Money” and yet here we are, in a different millennium, still feeling the same way.

I work all night I work all day
To pay the bills I have to pay
Ain't it sad?
And still there never seems to be
A single penny left for me
That's too bad!

 

For women, these lyrics are all too real. 

Nope - the gender pay gap is not “just an America thing,” like some would argue.

In fact, Australia is trailing far behind the USA when it comes to global gender gap rankings  – with the US ranked 22nd and Australia well below at 43rd in the World Economic Forum’s 2022 Global Gender Gap Index 2022 Rankings.

As for the top ten?

While not a single country had full gender parity, the top 10 economies have closed at least 80% of the gap:

  1. Iceland (90.8%) – the only country to have closed above 90% of the gap.
  2. Finland (86%)
  3. Norway (84.5%)
  4. New Zealand (84.1%)
  5. Sweden (82.2%)
  6. Rwanda (81.1%)
  7. Nicaragua (81%)
  8. Namibia (80.7%)
  9. Ireland (80.4%)
  10. Germany (80.1%)

 

Back to the Australian Gender Pay Gap, the Australian Institute’s Centre of Work 2022 report shows that men have a higher average salary than women in 95% of all occupations, including women-dominated industries.

For example, 99% of all midwives are women, but women are paid on average 19% less than men in the industry. 

Then there’s the issue of the industries themselves.

When it comes to industry salaries, 80 male-dominated occupations (where men make up 80% or more of the workforce) have average salaries of $100K or more. The number of female-dominated occupations with a $100K+ average salary? Zero.

And experts say if the gender pay gap was eliminated, across Australia women would be $3 Billion better off PER WEEK. 

That’s a pretty heavy price tag.

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS | Would $600,000 change your life?

 

The latest Australian data (as of 2023) shows women are earning 87 cents to the male dollar.

The 2023 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) report states that the average weekly earnings for women, across all industries and occupations, comes to around $1653.60. For men, it’s an average of $1907.10.

That’s $253.50 difference per week, or, over the course of the year, $13,182.00.

To put it into context – 

Say you enter the full-time workforce at 22 years old and retire at 67.
If nothing changed (the pay gap, no career breaks, etc.) and you worked for 45 years, that would equate to a $593,190 difference between men and women. 

 

What could (more than!) half a million dollars buy you?

Well, for us, if we had sudden windfall of $600K, it’d obviously go towards a holiday.

Given that the average Australian traveller holidays overseas for about three weeks, and spends about $4750 on the holiday– or at least they did in pre-covid times – then that $600Kish difference could mean 125 three-week holidays… or a very comfy world trip with plenty left over.

Or, you know, buy a house. 

Of course, this does not take into account living expenses over the years. Most likely, this money would be eaten up by bills, rent, mortgages, and Uber Eats (although we recommend reading this blog for some tips to saving on daily expenses!). 

But even so, it puts the average man in a much more comfortable position to live their daily lives, compared to the women. 

And even if it were eaten up by the less glamorous parts of life, not many would say no to having $600K to cover it!

 

It was worse last year.

Half a million dollars, would you believe it, is a drastic improvement on 2022, in which women were paid 77c to the $1 – earning about $26,000 dollars less than men per year… or $1,170,000 over the course of working life. 

At this point, you’re a literal millionaire in difference.
$1M could fund 246 holidays. Or a nice house to retire in. Or, well, a lot of things.

Luckily it’s improved over the year.

But still, $600K is a lot to be losing out on.
(If you disagree, feel free to deposit that $600K straight into my bank account).

GIRLBOSS TO THE TOP | But your wallet doesn’t show it

 

It’s not just the average worker – even shattering the glass ceiling is not enough.

It’s well known that women do not occupy the majority of high-level positions. 

Men are, in fact, twice as likely to be in the top-earnings quartile ($120K and above), and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA)’s 2021 research showed that 81% of the highest-paid chief executives and heads of business are men.

74% of boards are dominated with more than 60% men, and 1 in 5 boards do not have any women members at all. 

And for the women who work their way into other senior levels of management?

They earn almost $100,000 less than their male counterparts per year.

Even if they break the glass ceiling, it’s still a losing game.

Because, say you grinded for 30 years before you were awarded that senior position, and occupied that role for 15 years before you retired… that’s still $1.5M less pay than a man of the same position for the same amount time, plus the years of pay disparity before it.

NOT SO SUPER | Retiring in poverty after a career in unpaid labour



Salary isn’t the only thing women are losing out on.

Superannuation isn’t so super for women – that’s the steep price of unpaid labour.

Because women are earning less, they’re also retiring with less superannuation – according to the 2022 research, with 42% less super compared to men.

In dollar terms, the Australian Institute’s Centre of Work 2022 report states that women earning the median wage earn $136,000 less in superannuation, retiring with about $393,676 in super – which is $151,000 below what’s considered a “comfortable retirement.”

And shockingly, 1 in 3 women will have no money in their superannuation fund – leaving many older women in poverty. 

And this is credited to the unseen, unpaid labour of women.

Women are often expected to be the caregiver who takes parental leave to care for the child, which impacts earning potential.
Career breaks and gaps in the resume make it difficult to re-enter a competitive workforce, and, they don’t earn superannuation during this time.

Hopefully there’s a future in which this will change.

Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees CEO Eva Scheerlinck is advocating to introduce super on paid parental leave – which would allow parents to continue building their retirement savings while taking time out of paid workforce to care for children – but as it stands at present, parents (more often than not women) who take time off for family duties fall behind.

 

Back to the cost of unpaid labour - $650.1 Billion Dollars.

That’s the monetary value of unpaid care work in Australia as estimated by the WGEA. And studies show that this burden is shouldered primarily by women.

33% of women with children spend over 20+ hours per week, compared to 17% of men with children.

More than 25% of women spend 10hrs of indoor housework compared to 8% of men, and even with outdoor labour, often presumed to be dominated by men, there’s only a marginal difference with 7% of men spending 10+ hours of week, and 6% of women performing the same.

More than 50% of women spend 5+ hours on indoor housework, compared to 28% of men doing the same, and women also labour in the kitchen – with 54% of women spending 5+ hours a week cooking compared to 30% of men.

 

HOURS OF UNPAID LABOUR WOMEN MEN
20+ Hours/Week Caregiving 33% 17%
5+ Hours/Week Indoor Housework 50% 28%
10+ Hours/Week Indoor Housework 25% 8%
10+ Hours/Week Outdoor Housework 6% 7%
5+ Hours/Week Cooking  54% 30%

 

This demand for unpaid labour impacts employment quality – women take on more part-time and casual roles to shoulder this unpaid workload, which reduces current income, superannuation income, and limits promotional opportunities and long-term earning potential.

WEALTH CREATION | The Investing Gender Gap

 

When it comes to wealth creation, there’s a huge gap there too.

According to Sharesies, one of the key speakers at the She’s On The Money International Women’s Day event, their 2021 research on the Australian investing landscape showed some big disparities – particularly because women-dominated professions pay less than male-dominated professions, women tend to take more time off, and because of this, women have less to invest.

Which is a shame, because according to research from UNSW Business School, women make better investors than men – outperforming their male counterparts by spending more time researching options, matching investments to their lifestyle, and neurologically remain calmer while making smarter decisions during turbulent times (and investing is as yo-yo as exchange rates), and in the end, earning more money from their investments than men.

But unfortunately, many women don’t have the luxury of taking it to the next level.

And this can mean upwards of $9 MILLION Australian Dollars (AUD) difference between men and women throughout their career-spans.

Here’s an example based on the info Sharesies gave at the International Women’s Day event – where Sharesies highlighted how the power of compound interest can generate wealth, and how a pay gap results in the loss of significant opportunity for women. 

We are using the 2023 figure of 13.3% pay gap from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), to put it into context:

 

Say a man – we’ll call him “Brendan” – earns $100K after tax. Factoring in the 13.3% pay gap, he will be earning $13,300 more than his female counterpart – we’ll call her “Demetria.” That’s $1108 more per month.

If Brendan invests that $1108 per month into Australian shares, and the return-on-investment equals 9.8% (the average return calculated by Vanguard on Australian Shares from 1991-2021), and his working life is 45 years, the investment will be worth $9,050,456 by the end of Brendan’s working life (if the pay gap remains the same and nothing else changes in the salary circumstances of either person).

**This figure has been calculated using an annual compound method at 9.8% p.a. and it doesn't take into account increases in salary, a change in the pay gap, or changes in return figures (returns on investments are not guaranteed and you can lose the money you start with). It assumes that the pay gap remains at 13.3%, that no circumstances change for either party and that Brendan invests for 45 years. It also does not take into account any time off work where the salary of either party may change, including parental or carer's leave.

But it's not just a person earning $100k that is going to feel this loss of opportunity.

The pay gap can be applied against any salary and the opportunity they lose. If a “Brendan” is on $50k and the “Demetria” is on $6,650 less per annum, this $554 per month difference would result in $4,525,228 after 45 years if invested each month using the same calculation and assumptions as above.

 

So basically, Brendan has the opportunity to be $9 million dollars ahead of Demetria if he invests the gender pay gap (keeping in mind of course not everyone invests and that there’s no guarantee on investments), purely because she’s earning less for the same job.

That’s a pretty big difference.

PINK TAX | It also just costs more to be a woman.

 

So, what’s the “Pink Tax?”

It’s not a real tax… although the tampon tax was. 

Luckily, the tampon tax was abolished in 2019, but until that point, women were paying $30+ million dollars per year in taxes on feminine hygiene products… because bleeding once a month was considered a “luxury” (whereas condoms, lube, sunscreen, and nicotine patches were exempt from this as “medical necessities”).

While yes this tampon tax is gone, there is still a GST-tax for breastfeeding products, nursing systems, and other motherhood-related items.

And HuffPost estimates the full lifetime cost of periods (from feminine hygiene products, new underwear, pain relief, and chocolate) to be around $19,000. And that was in 2015, so add to that inflation and the rising cost of living. 

It could be a lot less too – according to The Economist, profit margins on feminine hygiene products is around 50%.

 

The Pink Tax works a little different.

The Pink Tax is a marketing tactic – pink it or shrink it – making gendered items more expensive for women. It spreads across pretty much all products and services – from haircuts, dry cleaning, car services, razors, soap, shampoo, deodorant, clothing.

One of the biggest case studies for this was the 2012 Bic “For Her” pen campaign.
A pen is a pen… but these were marketed at women, costing 70% more than regular pens. Because they were pink and “designed for women’s hands.” 

You’d think that’s absurd, but women from birth are groomed to spend more.

In Australia, 2019 research from AMP and a 2016 investigation by the Times analysed prices and found that women on average pay:

29% more for razors
16% more for body wash
11% more for shampoo
12% more for underwear
9% more for multivitamins
5% more for jeans
50% more for income protection
… and double for dry cleaning (men’s tops between $5-7, women’s tops between $8-14).


Not to mention contraception.

The pill can cost up to $304 per year, while condoms would be about $197 per year.

Now at Travel Money Oz, we believe in using protection with our Rate Move Guarantee.

And of course, that doesn’t discriminate based on gender.

But the fact that even sex life costs women more than men? Now that doesn’t seem fair.

 

On average, the Pink Tax ends up costing women $1300 extra each year. 

For women in Australia, the average life expectancy is around 85 years.
If a woman was to pay her own way from 18-85, this would mean she pays $87,100 more in Pink Tax than her male counterpart over the course of her life. Plus the $19,000 for feminine hygiene products.

Add to this, the social pressure for women to look “presentable” – including for job interviews and in the workforce, meaning women have to spend on high-cost items like makeup, hair products, and clothing that their male colleagues most often do not.

Research shows that Australian women spend on average $300 a month, or $3600 a year on beauty (whether that’s haircare, skincare, makeup, nails etc.). Say this from 18 years old (though we know makeup is being worn by increasingly younger children) until retirement at 67, that would cost $176,400. 

 

So how much does it cost to be a woman?

Overall, it would cost the average woman (keeping in mind this is just a generalised example), $282,500 more than the average man in her lifetime. 

Back to Brendan vs Demetria – if a woman had invested the monthly costs of being a woman (from pink tax to period products to beauty products), this would be about $448.33 per month of investments (this is just averaged out of course). Using the same compound interest example from earlier, this would be a lifetime value would equate to $3,629,303. 

Which brings the total loss of opportunity to $12,679,759.

Over $12.5 Million Aussie Dollars. 

And they say there’s no gender gap.

THE SOLUTION | So how do we fix this?

 

Unfortunately, there’s no easy, magical, quick fix.

However, here are a few places to start!

(PINK) Tax Evasion

 

One way, of course, is to be savvy with your spending – unlearning what women have been conditioned to believe for years – and avoid the Pink Tax.

Now we’re not gonna tell you that you shouldn’t buy what you want to buy. You’ve worked hard for your money, so you should spend it on what you like! 

But here are a few tips if you want to spend less (on products that are practically the same):

  1. Look for equivalent products in the men’s section and compare the prices.
    Often men’s products will be cheaper but do the job just as well!
     
  2. Make sure you double check the sizes too.
    The “pink it or shrink it” tactic means women’s items might be priced the “same” but for a smaller volume. Get your money’s worth!
     
  3. Shop around!
    Look for services (like dry cleaners, insurance providers, etc) to make sure they don’t charge women more, get a few quotes to make sure you’re not getting ripped off, and support brands that offer gender neutral pricing. 
     
  4. Negotiate.
    Especially for things like income protection, insurance, etc. that have premiums for just being a woman – finance experts say to negotiate a better deal because providers would rather keep you as a customer!
     
  5. Call it out!
    Contact companies that have discriminatory pricing, call them out on social media, tell your friends, start a ruckus. Eventually, if you’re loud enough, they’ll have to listen.

 

HIGHER POWER – It’s up to the big guns to implement big changes.

 

When it comes to change, as much as women can do their best to navigate an unfair world, it’s up to the people in power to make real change on a national (and global!) level with policies that help even the scales.

That doesn’t mean you should give up – you have to ask for the change, spread the word, and if you’re in a position of power, ensure that you’re advocating for change at every stage.

The WGEA recommends policy overhaul, and say long term action is required. After all, it takes time do break down social norms that dictate which roles are appropriate for men and women. 

For this large-scale change, businesses need to dedicate resources and an annual budget to address the biggest gaps – conducting an audit (pay gap analysis, hiring bias analysis, etc.), and coming up with a solution.

Some of policy recommendations from the WGEA:

 

>> Parenthood shouldn't end careers - make work easier for ALL parents!

Parenthood shouldn’t mean the end of a career for anyone! 
And as lucky as we are to have the 20-weeks paid parental leave, there’s much room for improvement. 

Paid parental leave should also be gender neutral. For example, the OECD has 60-weeks of paid parental leave in total – 24.6 weeks for mothers, 10.4 weeks for fathers, and 25.4 weeks that are flexible between parents. More men being allowed to take time to be fathers and parent their child work in everyone’s favour.

On top of this, paid parental leave should come with superannuation to help close that gender pay gap, and access to learning and development programs, training and upskilling programs, and support networks to help workers transition to new phases of life (not just for parents, but can also be especially beneficial for older women and the stigma they face). 

Lastly, having more accessible, free or more affordable early childhood education and care will take a lot of pressure off both parents and allow them to return to work sooner – with Nordic countries a prime example of this. Studies have shown that if Australia had the same systems and labour force participation that Nordic countries have, our economy would be $60 BILLION (3.2% GDP) larger!

 

>> Making work more flexible for everyone – especially families!

 

Continuing on this theme, having flexible, family-friendly work practices as a National Employment Standard will help close the gender gap by reducing gendered careers.

Many women only working casual or part time work due to parenthood, but parental care should be shared. Family-friendly working time arrangements, plus option to work from home, could help balance the scales by having more women continuing their career paths after having families.

This also needs to be gender neutral, because while women are more likely to request flexible working arrangements, men are more likely to have their requests for flexi work refused. Neither is ideal.

Enabling both women and men to manage both their home and their work responsibilities will over time shift the perspective that women are the caregivers and men are the breadwinners – because both can be both. 

 
>> Rethinking & Redesigning Manager Roles

This might be the most controversial and exciting of the WGEA’s recommendations. 

But so was the original 5-day work week (people had to march in the streets for that!), and now, research is showing 4-day work weeks, work better. So, this poses the question: do management roles really need to be full-time?

The part-time labour force is dominated by women, who are usually allocated the role of the primary caregiver, and this is incompatible with career progression and overall women’s employment status. 

The WGEA suggests being innovative with management roles and allowing more flexibility with them. Plus, many studies show that more women in senior leadership improves company performance, productivity, and profitability, so in the end it’s a worthwhile investment.

 

>> Wage Transparency

The argument often made is that women should ask for raises. 
The issue is: women can’t ask for equitable pay raise if she doesn’t know what her male counterparts are earning.

Wage transparency, and just transparency in general, is key – it puts pressure on companies to ensure fairness across the board, because it’s on display for all to see. Plus, it helps build a foundation for negotiation.

So, it needs to be implemented from the top-down to have full wage transparency.
After all, if it's fair across the workforce, what do you have to hide?
 

CEO,OOO,OOO – Advice from Women at the Top!

 

We were lucky enough to get advice from women at the top of the travel and money industries on how to succeed in your career.

This included a Flight Centre hosted panel with Mel Waters-Ryan, the CEO of Supply for Flight Centre; Yvette Thompson, GM of Partnerships for Intrepid Travel; Ann Elliot, Group GM Sales for Rex Airlines; as well the guest speakers from the She’s On The Money event: Boss Magazine’s Young Executive of the Year, Felicity Furey, and Australian comedian and Aboriginal advocacy speaker Steph Tisdell.

This is what they had to say…

 

How has the workforce changed for women?

INTREPID TRAVEL – Yvette Thompson

For the last five or six years, Intrepid has been championing women – this accelerated when Intrepid became certified B-Corp, which really pushed the drive and held them accountable. Since then, Intrepid has been making big changes and ensuring their passion for inclusivity is ingrained in all areas – from people (more women in Board and Management positions as well as more women tour leaders), to product, to marketing (ensuring Intrepid are marketing to ALL women with quotas for representation of BIPOC, Women, Plus Size, LGBTQIA, etc.). Always progressing, Intrepid also launched a work-away model where for two weeks every year, their staff can work from anywhere around the world!

FLIGHT CENTRE – Mel Waters-Ryan

71% of all Flight Centre staff identify as women, and 20% of women at Flight Centre are in a leadership role – in fact, 54% of staff at Area Leader positions and above are women! Mel Waters-Ryan attributes this to the fact that the culture of Flight Centre feels like home, is a forgiving workplace, and women often choose workplaces they feel looked after. She’s advocating for a higher percentage of women in leadership positions.

 

What challenges in the workforce did you face as women, or do women often face, and how do you overcome it?

INTREPID TRAVEL – Yvette Thompson

Recognising your own biases and blind spots. Sometimes, you don’t realise the unconscious prejudices you have until you’re confronted. In those times, really listen. Have the conversation, take it on board, and correct it. 

FLIGHT CENTRE – Mel Waters-Ryan

Women often struggle more than men when it comes to interviews, as men tend to interview more confidently than women. When it comes to hiring, it’s important to check your bias – interviews are just a one-hour performance and hirers can be swayed by this and neglect the actual data. On the flipside, women really need to nurture their public speaking and interviewing skills – after all, performing is a skill, so develop it!

REX AIRLINES – Ann Elliot

One of the struggles Ann faced was speaking up about nepotism at a prior workplace, then leaving the company. It was “the best thing” she ever did. The lesson learned? Always use your voice and speak up when something’s wrong.

 

 

What advice would you give women starting their careers?

 

INTREPID TRAVEL – Yvette Thompson

Networking is so important. Treat every interaction as a learning experience – ask questions and be curious! Say what you feel and what you think, and back yourself. Build up the people around you.

Make the most of every opportunity, and new opportunities will come along.

 

REX AIRLINES – Ann Elliot

Choose a mentor you admire. Ask for advice. Be honest and authentic – and don’t go with the crowd if you don’t believe in what they’re pushing. 

BOSS YOUNG EXEC OF THE YEAR – Felicity Furey

What will make the biggest difference? Collaboration. Working together accelerates and amplifies success – look at Steve Irwin for example. He collaborated with John Staitham to make the Crocodile Show, which was pivotal to the success of his mission and Australia Zoo. 

When influential leaders partner with grass-roots changemakers, the magic happens.
So find a mentor you look up to (they love being asked for help), take action, and turn up. Remember that you are valuable, and it’s a win-win, so be brave and ask!  

 

ABORIGINAL COMEDIAN – Steph Tisdell

It’s about bravery. How many times have you already been brave?
When you’ve been brave many times already, one scary task is no different to the tasks you’ve overcome before.

So get the number and speak up – people will rarely actually ask, so there’s more opportunity than you think!

Be brave, step into the room and ask. Be open to whatever comes – with no preconceived ideas about what the answer should be – and be okay with not getting the answer you want.

Also, be actively openhearted and openminded, raw, honest and vulnerable. Let them know this is what I can can bring to the table, this is what I can’t. This is what I believe in, and if you believe in it too, then invest in me so I can fight for what we believe in!

 

FLIGHT CENTRE – Mel Waters-Ryan

Pick up new skills and experiences – and move around more in your career. Women tend to stay in the same role for longer, but it’s important to be more dynamic and put your hand up to learn new skills (even if it’s just picking up new skills in the same role). 

Also, “learn how the cash register rings.” It’s important to understand how the money works – why customers are paying money for your good or service, and where the money goes afterwards, and have a good understanding of profit and loss. 

Have a good support network of other women. Mentor, sponsor and shepherd women you believe in, because women too often don’t advocate for themselves.

For the mums out there – outsource. Find out what tasks are taking away from quality time with kids and with work, and outsource so you get that precious time back to focus on what truly matters.

Finally, be curious and be brave. Forgive yourself for any mistakes and learn from it. And never compromise your empathy and compassion.

WOMEN OF TRAVEL MONEY OZ

 

At Travel Money Oz, we’re really proud of the balance of power in our organisation.

For example, we are part of Flight Centre Travel Group, and our brand pillar is led by a woman.

We have a pretty even split of men and women in the higher level positions of our business (Head of Marketing & Technology, Head of Finance are both women, while Head of Foreign Cash, Head of People & Operations, and our General Manager are men). 

When it comes to state-level leadership in Australia, we have more women (Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland) than men (Victoria and South Australia) in leadership positions. 

And on a store level, our frontline staff split (as of March 2023) is actually more weighted to women than men, with 75% identifying as women, and 25% identifying as men! 

It really goes to show that women thrive in maths and money, and old negative stereotypes have no place in business.

We’re really proud of all our staff – of every gender – and will continue to do our best to advocate for a diverse and empowered workplace.

COME AND SEE US FOR YOUR TRAVEL MONEY NEEDS!

 

So you’ve saved up your hard-earned money and are ready for a well-earned break.

Well, you’ve come to the right place!

Whether you’re planning a women’s retreat in a Swedish wellness centre, are headed on a Women’s Expedition with Intrepid Travel, we’ve got the foreign currency you’ll need for your holiday!

Come and see us in store and chat with our experts for tailored advice, or if you prefer, check out our online currency guides  and  inspirational blogs.

For inspo, updates, and advice delivered straight to your inbox, join the Travel Money Club and follow us on socials: Instagram  @travelmoneyoz  Facebook  @travelmoneyoz  TikTok  @travelmoneygroup  and YouTube  @travelmoneygroup.

DISCLAIMERS

 

A few disclaimers...

WOMENS ISSUES (Not everything is part of our expertise)

If you’ve made it this far, thanks so much for reading!

We just wanted to mention that we’ve covered as much as we can about women and money, but of course, everything is generalised, and we weren’t able to cover all issues including the intersectionality of the pay gap. Women of colour have all the hurdles above and more. And we know there are many more issues than just the pay gap when it comes to women’s issues, however our expertise lies in travel money, so we can only occupy that space – we’ll leave the rest for experts in the field to educate!

Also, just as an FYI, by "women" we mean people who identify as women.
Please take what you will from this blog, and in no way are we excluding trans men, non-binary, or gender-diverse people who may experience similar issues (including tampon tax, pink tax etc, as well as other workplace discrimination not factored into this blog). 

SPONSORSHIPS (Hint: there are none)

This blog is not sponsored by any of the organisations mentioned, however we were gifted tickets to the events and received a pretty nice goodie bag from event sponsors (thanks for the coffees, choccies, and sunscreen!). 

This blog does not contain affiliate links etc. because we’re not influencers (obviously) and that’s not our goal. Everything we write, we write because we believe it will help either educate or inspire you.

However, no mentions of people or products in this blog can be considered an endorsement by Travel Money Oz, and information provided on this blog cannot be considered financial advice.

FINANCIAL ADVICE (Nope, not part of our repertoire) 

As always, this blog is provided for information only and does not take into consideration your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider whether the information and suggestions contained in any blog entry are appropriate for you, having regard to your own objectives, financial situation and needs. 

While we take reasonable care in providing the blog, we give no warranties or representations that it is complete or accurate or is appropriate for you. We are not liable for any loss caused, whether due to negligence or otherwise, arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information and/or suggestions contained in this blog.

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