If women discover they are earning less than their male counterparts for the same jobs, their legal avenues for pursuing equal pay are limited, explains Alice Orchiston, Associate Lecturer in Law at University of Sydney. It’s difficult to prove and costly to litigate. Sex discrimination cases are very difficult to prove: the claimant needs to prove that she was paid less than a man in the same circumstances, but the employer can point to reasons unconnected with gender to explain a pay discrepancy.