Women still need to be heard, says Hughes

By DAPHNE WANI
Women in the country still need to be given more opportunities to be heard, says Westpac managing director Adrian Hughes.
He told The National during the Westpac Outstanding Women’s (WOW) Awards in Port Moresby on Thursday that one challenge that women continued to face in the workforce was the pay difference between them and their male counterparts.
“Men continue to get higher pays than women, notwithstanding the fact that women are just as capable as men in just about every area of business,” Hughes said.
He said the pay-gap difference was narrowing each year because many companies paid people for the skills and experience they possessed regardless of their gender.
“A lot of modern-day companies have that as their co-pay principle and so that’s why the gap is narrowing, but still many old-fashioned business owners out there can’t see the hidden potential that women have got,” Hughes said.
He said that in terms of job opportunities, companies gave the same opportunities to men and women.
“It worries me particularly at Westpac when I advertise for management roles we don’t get enough women to put their hands up,” he said. Hughes said women lacked self-confidence and belief in themselves to go that extra step to back themselves. The fear of failure that holds them back, he said.