CEO of National Council of Single Mothers and Their Children Terese Edwards says hidden sexism is rife in non-profit sector A level playing field: National Council of Single Mothers and Their Children chief Terese Edwards. Photo: David Mariuz Former senior executive Terese Edwards was so frustrated by hidden sexism that she quit a secure job where she managed 40 people to do something to improve the lot of women. She's not surprised that Australia's gender wealth gap has widened sharply despite a long-term rise in female workforce participation and strong growth in the proportion of women with tertiary qualifications like hers. The research by Curtin University also found more single female households have children than single male households. Even in the non-profit sector, which is dominated by women, the upper echelons were mostly men, said Ms Edwards. The numbers didn't equate. It staggered me that 70 per cent of the workforce would be women, yet (there were so few) women on boards and as CEOs. Now the CEO of the National Council of Single Mothers and Their Children, Ms Edwards recalls subtle things that stopped women from earning as much as men or receiving the promotions they deserve. Although she is highly qualified, she says women are still required to "work that much damn harder." We know that we have to be doubly qualified, put in more hours, give more evidence to show we are hitting the ... mark. As a 35-year-old with a three-year-old son when she quit her last job in 2010, she recalled having to hire a babysitter to come with her so she could attend a groundbreaking ceremony at her old job. When she asked her accountant if she could claim the cost of a babysitter as a tax deduction she was appalled to discover that if she had hired a chauffeur, she could have made a claim. Not a babysitter. "It was like you are kidding me, " she said. "There are those little hidden things that you start to notice," she said. She either had to skip networking events or pay for childcare. For single mothers, the issues hindering advancement were old-fashioned stereotypes and the difficulty of doing training, overtime or development courses because of lack of childcare. Ms Edwards says a continuing problem is that issues such as childcare are still considered women's issues and not workplace issues. Another major barrier is that women's work caring for children or sick relatives is not valued, despite the rhetoric. While owning a home remains unattainable for many women, Pyrmont resident Daniel Argent, 27, is already looking to buy his third property. Originally from Campbelltown, Mr Argent partially attributes his money savvy skills to his job at Macquarie Bank. "I lived at home for a couple of years which allowed me to just save," Mr Argent said, when asked how he could afford so many assets in his 20s. Now I'm just looking to buy another investment property. On Saturday, Mr Argent was at an apartment inspection in Pyrmont, where he was a "bit surprised" offers over $650,000 had been received. He estimated the value of his properties - a home in Campbelltown and an apartment in Pyrmont - at $1.2 million. Mr Argent agreed the housing market was out of reach for many, saying he felt sorry for anyone trying to get a foothold in the market with the asking price of a one bedroom apartment at $650,000 or more.