Start saving now. Learn to negotiate. Open a superannuation account the moment you finish school.
These are some of the gems women are writing to their younger selves in a new project marking Equal Pay Day.
The national gender pay gap sits at 17.9 per cent and an alliance of women’s groups Security4Women is joining forces to launch a place where women can share advice to combat that gap, called Letters To My Younger Self.
Executive officer Sally Jope said she sat down to write to her younger self “and it ended up being quite a long letter, actually”.
“I reflected on choice of career and some aspects I would have done differently but I also looked back on the things I did well,” Jope said.
“I was lucky to receive some money from my parents and I put that into a deposit on a house which in the 80s was a very sensible thing to do.”
Senator Michaelia Cash said Australian women had a lot to learn from each other.
“With age comes knowledge and this is an opportunity for young women to hear from another generation who have the benefit of hindsight,” Cash said.
“It’s for older women to be able to share the experiences and knowledge they have experienced over the years.”
The alliance had also put together a negotiation checklist.
“It’s about informing yourself to do the best you can in your job negotiation or performance review,” Jope said.
