When will progress completely stop, and when can we all comfortably sit in our recliners and say to others, the gender pay gap be a thing of history?
I don’t know. Truthfully, I’m surprised but certain the pay gap will be resolved hopefully within my lifetime. The uncertainty is when that time will be. But just stay informed and keep learning! Keep up to date with facts, listen to what politicians are saying, and speak up.
"To begin with, we must publicly recognize it as a problem. Too often, both women and men dismiss the pay gap as simply a matter of different choices. But even women who make the same educational and occupational choices that men make do not typically end up with the same earnings.
A problem as long-standing and widespread as the pay gap cannot be solved by the actions of individual women alone. "- Dey&Hill
Read More for suggestions from AAUW
HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS:
• Educate yourself about typical salaries for various college majors. Consider future earnings when making the critical decision of college
major. Your choice will affect the economic security of you and your family throughout your lifetime.
• If you must borrow money for college, educate yourself about the terms associated with public and private student loans. Exhaust your
federal borrowing options before considering more risky private student loans.
Recent college graduates in the audience can also take some actions to address the pay gap (ding ding!)
• Consider future earnings when deciding which job to pursue. Like college major, occupation has a significant effect on earnings. Your
paycheck affects many parts of your life, from your healthcare to your retirement savings. Choose your occupation carefully.
• Know what your skills are worth in the labor market. Be skeptical of salary offers and pay raises, and negotiate if you believe your contributions are worth more.
PARENTS AND TEACHERS can help your children and students understand the financial implications of various fields of study and work so they can make well-informed decisions.
Dey & Hill also suggest promoting careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in a way that appeals to girls and women. I do think that this is a personal choice and having that support there is good. However, being an illustrator in the arts industry, I believe that regardless of the choice, this is separate from gender. Math itself is an integral part of logical thinking, brainstorming, problem solving and assessment. It doesn't matter what major you choose, just consider what is right for you. Equal pay should be equivalent within each choice.
ENCOURAGE WOMEN TO NEGOTIATE FOR BETTER QUALITY JOBS AND PAY
Further magnifying these gender differences, women expect less and negotiate less pay for themselves than do men. Researchers have found that women expect less, see the world as having fewer negotiable opportunities, and see themselves as acting for what they care about as opposed to acting for pay. These learned behaviors and expectations (which may be based on experiences) tend to minimize women’s pay (Babcock & Laschever, 2003).
Individual differences in negotiating skills may lead to pay variation among workers with similar skill sets. Employers have a fair amount of discretion in setting wages as long as they pay at least the minimum wage and do not discriminate based on gender, race, ethnicity, age, or other protectedgroup.7 One study by Babcock and Laschever (2003) found that starting salaries for male students graduating from Carnegie Mellon University with master’s degrees were about 7 percent higher (almost $4,000) than the starting salaries for similarly qualified women. Babcock and Laschever argue that this gap in part reflects differences in men’s and women’s willingness to negotiate.
It’s vital for women to voice their opinions just as soundly and loudly as men.
SUPPORT MOTHERS IN THE WORKPLACE
Mothers earn considerably less than other women earn. Although this regression analysis did not find a motherhood penalty among full-time women 10 years after graduation, it did observe a large number of women leaving the full-time labor force for at least some portion of time. Research indicates that leaving the work force or working part time results in less work experience and diminished earnings potential (Gabriel, 2005; Felmlee, 1995; Bowlus, 1997; Waldfogel, 1998).
Rethink using hours as the measure of productivity.
ENFORCE FAMILY FRIENDLY POLICIES AND SUPPORT HIGH-QUALITY CHILD CARE.
