For most women, asking for a pay rise is up there with having root canal and getting a pap smear. You absolutely know it’s something you should do but the realities of making it happen can be… awkward and painful. This widespread hesitation isn’t a quirk of nature. It flows from a tidal wave of history that says women should be grateful to have jobs in the first place and that asking for more money isn’t very polite.

In this series of articles Future Women gives you the facts, figures and foundations to mount complex gender equity arguments. We tackle the big issues, one by one and step by step, so that you no longer feel ill-equipped to make the case for what you really care about. Today? We’re taking a more individualised approach, with a step-by-step guide to requesting that much-deserved pay rise.