Pay Equity: Closing the Gender Wage Gap in the Workplace
I love how International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month create an intentional opportunity to reflect on how far we have come and where we still need to make progress. Leading up to today, I’ve thought a lot about the persistent issue of pay equity. Quite honestly, I’m incensed that after spending 27 years in marketing, the pay equity gap between female and male professionals is still a thing.
When I entered my senior year at an all-women high school in 1988, it seemed that the world was finally ready to accept us as equals and those gender barriers in the workplace were soon to be a thing of the past. Yet, U.S. Census Bureau data from 2018 showed women of all races earned, on average, just 82 cents for every $1 earned by men of all races. Still, after 30 years. It’s painful and essential to acknowledge this truth about pay equity. Our progress depends on our willingness to continue to talk about the need for pay equity every day, not just today.
Know Your Worth in Pay Equity
I recall a pivotal moment earlier in my career when I learned that I was grossly underpaid relative to my male counterparts. At the time, I was 28 and had been working for a large PR firm for nearly two years. All of my managers were men, including the head of my department and the office director. That I was being underpaid by $30,000 was going to be quite an awkward conversation, I thought. Yet, much to my surprise, it wasn’t. My manager and his boss listened thoughtfully to my request that they consider raising my salary. We had a great conversation about my role at the firm. That day they raised my pay to equal my male counterparts.
Since becoming a manager, I’ve consistently given one piece of advice to everyone I’ve managed. Always ask for what you want.
To do so, you need to know what it is you want and what you deserve. For women, it’s especially critical that we do the work to be prepared for the moments when we need to speak up.
Three Tips for Achieving Pay Equity
Here are three tips I give to women in our field (and to all young women in my world!) when it comes to pay equity:
- Check your salary and compensation packages against the data available from sources such as Glassdoor at least twice yearly.
- Always behave like your annual review is coming up next week. This means keep an updated account of your accomplishments and contributions, ideally based on data.
- ASK FOR WHAT YOU WANT. And don’t wait to be asked what that is!
It’s so important to stay informed on salary ranges in your industry and city. It’s also important to maintain an updated portfolio of your work and contributions to your company’s success – never let this get outdated. You need to be ready to prove why your compensation should be increased, even if you work for a great company that pays well and takes good care of employees. Always be ready to go to bat for yourself and have the records to back up your position. And remember to take every opportunity to speak up! Be your own best advocate and make sure the women you manage (if you are a manager) learn to do the same and are paid equitably.
A Personal Story of Progress
Yesterday, my 15-year-old daughter took a step forward by asking her manager for more hours – she coaches young ninja athletes at Ultimate Ninjas in Chicago. She’d been concerned for months about her low hours. Yet, despite having a strong basis for her request to work more often (such as her exceptional experience as a national competitive Ninja athlete and proven track record of dependability,) she struggled to find her voice to advocate for herself. To her delight, her manager responded promptly with a nice note and additional assignments. She’s headed in the right direction.
I’m going to help her remember her tremendous value and worth, and to speak up in praise of herself, always. Let’s make more progress for each other by helping the women in our lives do the same.