A recent survey has shown that women are being paid considerably less compared to men in their first post-MBA jobs. What’s more, men’s starting salaries are often higher, and they get faster pay hikes than women over time.

It’s really a demoralizing research finding for women who want to jump-start their careers up the corporate ladder. Although the research did indicate that a lot of jobs are being offered to high-potential female executives, the bottomline still shows that in general terms, women are still relegated in the lower bracket in every category in the job market – like position, career advancement, and pay, when they are compared with male counterparts.

Eventhough there is no pin-point source as to why these discrepancies exist, the most unfortunate speculation from hiring managers is that it’s a result of stereotyping. And it all boils down to the very first job offer where salary starting points are set. This is why HR experts try hard to emphasize to both women applicants and hiring managers to rectify this scenario at the onset.