On Tuesday, April 2nd, it was Equal Pay Day, marking how far into 2019 women have to work to match men’s earnings from 2018. Currently, white women only make .70 cents compared to their male counterparts. But did you know that it’s even worse for women of color and minorities? African American women only make .63 cents and Latina women only make .53 cents for the same job.
I have worked in a job knowing that the female staff was being compensated far less than their male counterpart. I have had my male manager laugh at me when I demand the same pay and compensation as my male counterpart. That did not stop me. We need to start demanding equal pay and being paid what we are worth! Here are a few tips on how to do that:
TIPS TO HELP CLOSE THE GENDER WAGE GAP
1. Negotiate – Always ask for more! Know your value and practice your pitch
2. Knowledge is power – Talk about money, share salary ranges to shed the secrecy. If you have a point of reference – you know what to ask for!
3. Audit – Ask your company to conduct a pay audit to identify gaps and address them
4. Invest – petition your company to invest in women mentorships programs. Women deserve equal opportunity for advancement
Salesforce is a great example of a company acknowledging a wage gap problem and being transparent with how they address it, and their commitment to continue to work towards a more equal world.
If a company as large as Salesforce can address the payment inequalities they found in their company at a gender, race and ethnicity level on a global scale – then other companies can do it too!
Happy Friday babes!
And men can help in an easy, simple way by telling their female peers what they make!