The Mount Maunganui business woman said she earned about $17,000 a year at her first job as a laboratory technician and had always worked in male-dominated positions.
"My view in this day and age is any women can achieve whatever level they desire in an organisation, if they have the knowledge, the skills and attributes required for the position."
She acknowledged men in leadership roles tended to have higher salaries and said women may lack the confidence to negotiate pay packages.
Zespri International marketing general manager Carol Ward earns a six-figure salary and said the company's pay scale was based on role scope, performance and interpersonal behaviour rather than gender.
"I know there may still be other workplaces where this cannot be claimed," she said. "But I hope the situation is changing."
The 47-year-old had been in her current position for four years and had moved from Zespri's head office in Mount Maunganui, to Belgium, Taiwan and recently to its newly created global hub office in Singapore.
Her first job was in marketing as an analyst and the salary was about $36,000 per annum, she said.
Perceptions towards women in high powered jobs were changing and it was great to see the increase in the number of inspiring women on company boards including this year's appointment of Teresa Ciprian as Zespri's first female board director, she said.
1st Call Recruitment general manager Angela Singleton said there was a stigma that men got paid more, particularly in senior management but it was hard to prove.
"I believe that is because men are usually in power and they look after their own ... birds of a feather flock together. I'd say there are some very senior management positions and board positions where they are paid significantly more than a woman."
The Right Staff owner Claudia Nelson said most women took time out of their career to raise children so lose time and opportunities to develop into senior management roles and traditional role splits were often observed.
