03/26/2019 (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

RECOMMENDATIONS The gender pay gap is unlikely to go away on its own, but there are many things that can make a difference. Here are some steps that individuals, employers, and policymakers can take to ensure fair pay. INDIVIDUALS Because most employers have latitude when it comes to pay, negotiating one's salary can pay off. While women can't negotiate around discrimination, it is helpful for them to know their market value and to push for better wages. Traditionally, it has been socially acceptable for men to negotiate for raises because negotiating conforms to the stereotype of men as assertive. But negotiation is especially tricky for women because some behaviors that work for men, like self -promotion and assertiveness, may backfire on women (Carter Er Silva, 2011; Bowles & Babcock, 2013). Knowing what your skills are worth, making clear what you bring to the table, emphasizing common goals, and maintaining a positive attitude are some negotiation tactics that have been shown to be effective (Babcock Er Laschever, 2008). To empower women with the skills they need to successfully negotiate salary and benefits, AAUW offers salary negotiation workshops. Start Smart is designed to help college women who are about to enter the job market, and Work Smart offers training to women already in the labor force, training them to negotiate for a new job, raise, or promotion. These workshops help women determine their market worth based on their skills, experience, performance, qualifications, and responsibilities on the job. And they provide the tools and business strategies women need to successfully negotiate for fair pay for the rest of their careers. Additionally, individuals can also take steps to influence employers and governments—letters to your legislators and local papers, blogs, and tweets are just a few examples. Joining an organization like AAUW can make all of these activities easier, especially if you use our templates and resources and connect with our network of activists. EMPLOYERS Equal pay is important for legal and ethical reasons, but it can also be good for employers' bottom lines and employee recruitment and retention. Believing that an employer is fair improves workers' morale (Cohen-Charash Er Spector, 2001; Kim, 2009). Work performance has also been linked to the perception of organizational justice (Colquitt et al., 2001). In other words, workers who believe that they are paid fairly are more likely to contribute their best effort to the job. Surveys have also found that employee satisfaction is highly connected to whether employees feel they AAUW o www.aauw.org are paid fairly and how fair and transparent their employer's approach to pay is, but women are more likely to feel "in the dark" about compensation in the workplace (Payscale, 2017; Glassdoor, 2015). There are many practices employers can voluntarily implement to help close the wage gap, including analyzing their wage data and conducting regular pay audits; prohibiting retaliation against their employees for discussing, disclosing or inquiring about their wages; and eliminating the practice of using prior salary history to set the wages of new employees. THE SIMPLE TRUTH ABOUT THE GENDER PAY GAP 1 Fall 2018 Edition