With results confirming that eight out of ten businesses currently pay their female employees less than men, the gender pay gap has dominated headlines in recent months.

And across the pond things aren’t much better, with men earning 20% more than women in America.

Catt Sadler is among those women affected, and the TV presenter quit her position at E! after discovering her male co-presenter was earning nearly double her salary.

Since then, though, she’s been anything but quiet about it. And, recognising that things need to change, Sadler has gifted some invaluable advice about how women, moving forward, can negotiate better salaries in their current careers.

“I’m well aware that the majority of women can’t just walk away from their job tomorrow like I did,” Sadler tells InStyle. “That’s just not realistic. But if you’re deadlocked and your boss isn’t moving and you’re going to essentially become another statistic, it’s about engineering your exit strategy.”

However, if you love your current position, but simply want to earn more money (because you, obviously, deserve to) then you have to do your homework by finding out what other people in a similar position are earning.

“Culturally we’re taught as women to think, ‘Great, I got the job I wanted’ instead of ‘What are other people making in the marketplace?’ or ‘What can I bring to the table to sweeten the pot a little bit?’,” explains Sadler.

And, it’s important to negotiate correctly from the get-go.

“Another key thing is putting down the number first. A lot of us wait to see what they’re offering, but we should be saying, ‘Here’s what I would like.’ Especially in the beginning of your career, you want to start off as high as possible because then you’re more likely to continue to grow that number. It’s harder to make big salary leaps down the line,” Sadler advises. 

If you’re going for a job interview, it’s also essential, for the current climate to change, that you carry out some proper research into the company’s policies on pay.  

‘It’s okay to declare ownership of your professional future by saying, ‘Do you believe in equal pay?’”, Sadler says. “Or ‘If I take this job, can I be sure that a male in the same position, with the same experience, and the same education, and the same work load, will be on par with my salary?’ It’s okay to own that before you even step foot into a new company.”

Sadler, who recently spoke at the equal pay rally in New York City, is also encouraging women to add their voice to the movement by taking part in protests – outside of the office.

“And on top of that, because of the current political climate, there are so many rallies, organisations, and marches that you can turn to. I would encourage women to get involved in the fight because together we are all stronger,” Sadler advises. 

The look set to conversation as Sadler and actress Jennifer Lawrence have teamed up to produce a docuseries on issues women are facing today. Details about the series are scarce, but it’s reportedly being directed by documentary filmmaker Stephanie Soechtig, and will focus on issues facing women today like the gender pay gap and the #MeToo movement.

What a woman.

Images: Getty / Instagram