Travel With Jane aim to bridge gender pay gap with 16.2% discount

In what could be a world first, travel insurer Travelwithjane.com has announced a 16.2% discount to female customers on all its policies - a figure which reflects the current gender pay gap in Australia.  

The insurer hopes the initiative will raise awareness of wage inequality across the nation and abroad while offering a tangible benefit to its female customers, but admits that it’s likely to court controversy with the move.

“Women are paid, on average, 16.2% less than their male counterparts. Until parity is achieved, we think it’s only fair that Australian businesses that profess to care about their female customers, cover the gap,” said Ben Webster, Travelwithjane.com co-founder.

“Although, parity starts with salaries, why not pitch in to bridge the gap in the meantime?”

The 16.2% figure used by Travelwithjane.com is drawn from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s (WGEA) 2016 ‘The economics of the gender pay gap' report into workplace inequality.

WGEA releases a gender pay gap figure twice a year, using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which Travelwithjane.com has commited to matching for its discount over the next two years.

Established in 2016 as a travel insurer targeted to women, Travelwithjane.com hopes its inititave will help empower female travellers - especially given that two thirds of travel insurance policies are bought by women.

“The financial implications of a Gender Pay Gap have far reaching consequences, naturally some of which spill into the ability for women to seize every opportunity to travel, and travel safely,” said Webster.

“We are passionate about travel and hope that a 16.2% discount will assist them financially with travel, if even in a small way.”

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