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In the US women are paid 20% less than men, and women from minorities even less. There is not a single profession where women earn more than men. This is true regardless of age or seniority.
April 2 was Equal Pay Day in the US. And if you ask me every day, and every commemoration is a good occasion to discuss these issues. I posted about this on Linkedin and was surprised to find that all of the comments were from men, while most of the shares were by women, but I will leave analyzing that to another day.
There are so many "stories" that are told about the pay gap, and I am not always certain which side of the debate I stand on. The gender pay gap makes me think of research on the impact of fat on human health, or the prevalence of gluten intolerance, except that it's not as easy to point out the lobby that would stir the conversation in one direction or the other.
As always I am a firm believer that its good to look at all sides of the debate, and i've put together a short bibliography of research on the topic.
First things first: definitions. What is the difference between ‘Gender Pay Gap’ And ‘Equal Pay’. Believe it or not those two notions are not exactly the same. The first measures the average difference between incomes of men and women, while the second measures that differnece specifically in the context of equal work.
One of the worst career moves a woman can make is to have children. Mothers are less likely to be hired for jobs, to be perceived as competent at work or to be paid as much as their male colleagues with the same qualifications.
Could one of the reasons why women are less likely to negotiate their salaries be that they are penalized when they do?
Read all about Women & Salary Negotiations in Marilyn's post on the topic: Do Women Negotiate Their Salaries?
People believe that the difference comes from women's career choices. Is that founded? The answer in a comprehensive article on the various myths surrounding Equal Pay and the Gender Pay Gap.
A list of resources for employers and employees.