Making Progress on Equal Pay Day
Bonus Episode | Author: Emilie Aries
Today is Equal Pay Day, my least favorite “holiday” that symbolizes how far into 2021 the average American woman had to work to earn what the average full-time working man did in 2020.
It’s a creative way of representing the modern gender wage gap: $0.82. That’s how much women in the U.S. who work full time, year round are paid for every dollar paid to men. (Source)
And the numbers get even worse when you break things down by race:
AAPI Women’s Equal Pay Day is Mar. 9, 2021 | $0.85
Black Women’s Equal Pay Day is Aug. 3, 2021 | $0.63
Native American Women’s Equal Pay Day is Sep. 8, 2021 | $0.60
Latina Women’s Equal Pay Day is Oct. 21, 2021 | $0.55
So what can we do to raise awareness today and help hurry the closure of the gender pay gap? Here are 3 ways to get started now:
Advocate for Pay Transparency
One way the wage gap is perpetuated is when employers refuse to be transparent about salary and instead put pressure on job candidates to name their own salary history or salary expectations.
Fortunately, this is becoming rapidly more and more illegal in many cities and states. Here in Colorado, the Equal Pay Act just went into effect January 1st, and now requires employers with 1 or more employees to list salary and/or hourly pay ranges on every single job description, or risk being fined. It’s my hope that federal legislation will be put forth soon to offer similar requirements nationwide.
In the meantime, we can leverage our people power to hold companies accountable in the court of public opinion:
When you see a company list a job description without a pay range, call them out! Make sure they know that by not being transparent about pay, they’re disproportionately negatively impacting women and people of color, who are most likely to be underpaid.
If a friend asks you to pass on a job description to help their company with recruiting, first make sure pay is listed. If it’s not, refuse to spread the word unless they add it! That’s our policy in the Bossed Up Courage Community on Facebook - and it should be a commonplace gut check for all of us before helping any organization spread the word about their open position.
Finally, do your part to stand your ground when an employer asks you the mid-interview “salary expectations” question - refuse to answer! I know this sounds awfully difficult because you don’t want to risk being seen as difficult, but it’s a total power play - and it can be done with grace. Learn more about how to avoid the salary question in the interview here.
Ask for more & negotiate like a boss!
While we really shouldn’t put the burden on women and people of color to solve the problem of pay inequality ourselves, serving as your own self-advocate while we wait for more systemic solutions can be a productive step forward.
Our comprehensive step-by-step negotiation guide is the best resource for navigating your next salary negotiation, because it breaks everything down into these key sections:
Know your market worth
Get your money mindset right
Start the negotiation conversation
Prepare your counter-offer
Deliver your counter-offer with clarity and confidence
Handling common pitfalls with grace
You can download the entire step-by-step detailed guide for free.
Do you prefer learning through listening? Tune into my podcast episode Step-by-Step Negotiation Prep to hear me walk a client through an actual salary negotiation in real time.
Enlist men’s allyship
Remember, the gender pay gap isn’t a problem women alone can solve. We must enlist the support of male allies every step of the way. Here are a few ways to do so:
Ask the men you work with to level with you about salary. That act of allyship helped one friend of mine make sure she was getting compensated equitably when she learned she’d been low-balled.
Seek out male mentors and ask for their support and guidance when it comes to navigating salary negotiation and pay expectations. Diversity in our mentors and sponsors means we’re less likely to fall into an echo chamber where everyone’s salary expectations are similarly depressed.
Seek out sponsors - of any gender - who will advocate for your pay, too. Need someone to help make your case? To go to the mat for your promotion or raise? Don’t be shy about asking for the support you need! Just be sure to equip them with a persuasive argument they can share on your behalf.
One Level Up Leadership Accelerator client of mine just returned from maternity leave after setting up her boss to negotiate for a raise and promotion on her behalf while she was out of office becoming a mother. Before she left, she had a review and left him with a proposal making her case for more responsibility and pay, which included key details on her performance and impact over the last few years.
Just a few days back in the office and she wrote to me to share the news:
“I started back at work mid last week and on my second day back I received a promotion and 20% raise!! Exactly what we had asked for. Thank you again for everything.”
This Equal Pay Day, let’s all do our part to close the gender wage gap - whether you start with negotiating your own salary higher or making your voice heard with lawmakers, hiring managers, and decision-makers at your company.
Got a career conundrum you want Emilie to cover on the podcast? Call and leave us a voicemail NOW at 910-668-BOSS(2677).
How we can all advocate to close the gender wage gap.