Bangalore: Gender bias has been one of the most sensitive issues across the world but the gap has deepened further. With men drawing salaries, 18 to 40 percent higher than that paid to the women in Australia, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, India, Japan, the United States and Canada the gender pay gap has come to limelight. Women scientists in every country, including Canada, tend to be paid a lot less than their male counterparts, according to an international survey. Male scientists in Canada averaged $80,000 compared to women whose pay is closer to $65,000. after Six to ten years of completion of their PhDs, men's salaries start to increase relative to women's, according to the survey of 10,500 scientists revealed. This bias is not only seen in terms of payment of salaries. The Harper government awarded all 19 of its new $10 million research awards to men. Not only were no women selected for the prestigious prizes, called the Canada Excellence Research Chairs, but there was not a female on the short list of 36 candidates considered. This ignited a big debate. "That this sort of thing can still happen is an embarrassment for Canada and profoundly demoralizing for the women scientists in this country," said Lynne Quarmby, a professor in the molecular biology and biochemistry department at Simon Fraser University. Women scientists often start their careers with slightly lower salaries, in more poorly equipped labs, with fewer graduate students and appointments to less-prestigious committees, Christensen writes in a commentary.