What drives pay disparity between male and female executives?

It’s a well documented fact that male employees tend to earn more than their female counterparts. Why this anomaly still occurs in 21st century workplaces is a  mystery.

Some interesting results on male and female pay disparity is emerging from the recent study we conducted on high-income executives in Australia. Interestingly, male executives tend to get a pay rise as a result of good performance, while female executives are more likely to get a raise if they change employers or move from one department to another.

When asked ‘what triggers your pay rise’ (see chart) more men tend to get their raise from activities (such as performance review and promotion) which, generally speaking, involves a modicum of self-promotion. Arguably, changing employers, through which 24% of female executives received a pay rise compared to 19% for male, is less confrontational than asking for a pay rise.

Are women executives less aggressive when it comes to asking for a pay rise? Why are more men getting a pay rise as a result of performance review? Does different methods on getting pay rise contribute to disparity in the amount earned? If so, why?

I will be dissecting more on the subject in Melbourne. Come along.