'Women make 87 Cents on the Dollar.' Seriously?

I was watching a promo for Veep on Netflix yesterday. You might have seen it – the one where when Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) says: “I was the first female president and I will not work for less than 87 cents on the dollar!” And then adds, “And tell him I’ll stand at a glass podium and wear a short skirt.” I chuckled. Then I cringed. Because it’s entirely possible that this scene is playing out– with a very high-level executive – somewhere in the US today! In fact, women in NYC are at 89% and in Wyoming they are at 62% (WHAAAAT???) (Source)

It’s 2017, folks. What the hell?

My next thought was, “Well, that’s why I’m an entrepreneur. I set my income.” But do I? Really? Am I getting paid what my male colleagues are? And if not, who’s fault is that?

Is it the fault of my industry? Or is it my fault for not charging more?

And when I lose deals to guys who are charging the same, is it because they are guys, or because they are better qualified, or because they had a better proposal? Or is it because I am (ahem) in my 40’s? (Women typically earn about 90 percent of what men are paid until they hit 35.) (Source)

While women absolutely deserve equal pay for equal work (part of me can’t believe this is even a thing still,) the question of Equal Pay still rises. And it won’t be an easy fix.

We have to change (or at least enforce) existing laws.

We must demand our fair share.

We must step up and be at least as good as out male counterparts.

Depending on the industries we work within, we might have to walk their talk a little – until such a time as it becomes our industry.

We might have to do everything the boys do – in heels and backwards :)

According to Fortune Magazine, there are three reasons the gender pay gap still exists (Source):

1.    The Motherhood Penalty

2.    Negotiation

3.    Employer Bias

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Women are not likely to stop having babies and wanting to mother those babies.  And yes, time out of the labor force costs businesses money. But companies do need to find a way to support new mothers – perhaps through providing excellent daycare options and flex/work options– that will allow women to work effectively and care for their child.

As women, we need to learn how to better negotiate. We need to value ourselves more. We need to learn how to ask for the salaries we deserve.

And some companies just suck. Despite a federal law requiring men and women be paid the same, they are not. That is not OK.

So what can we do?

Demand paid leave and subsidized childcare – Patagonia provides four months of paid leave and they have on-site childcare. And save money because they have drastically reduced turnover! (Source)

Demand transparency around pay. Many women might not even know they are getting paid significantly less than their male colleagues. Our friend over at Buffer publish salaries and the formulas they use to reach them!

Stop working for free (or cheap)

We are not going to bridge the gender pay gap completely anytime soon. But we (women and the men who believe in us) can all start taking action ourselves.  We can start demanding what we need from our employers, clients and colleagues. We can become more involved in non-traditional industries (tech, software, bio and sales.) We can make better choices earlier on.

Bio: Viveka von Rosen

Viveka von Rosen is an internationally known LinkedIn speaker and author. She is the “LinkedIn Expert” and is author of the best selling “LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour a Day” and “LinkedIn: 101 Ways to Rock Your Personal Brand!” As a contributing “expert” to LinkedIn’s official blog and their “Sophisticated Marketer’s Guide,” she is often called on to contribute to publications like Forbes, Money, Entrepreneur, Social Media Examiner, etc. Viveka takes the LinkedIn experience she has perfected over the past 10+ years and transforms it into engaging and informational training (having provided over 100K+ people) with the tools and strategies they need to succeed on LinkedIn.

 #EqualPayDay

#EnoughisEnough