You Suck, Girl

Hey, don't blame me.  I didn't say it, Suze did. 

Seems there is another study out there about wage inequality.  Here are the 'facts'--newly minted college graduates (females) earn about 80% of what a male graduate makes 'right out of the gate.'  Two, ten years after graduation the gap has widened to 31%.  Men run more--ten years out of school men have more authority and management responsibility than women.

And it is all your fault.  Well, not totally as Suze suspects sex discrimination but it is also the female tendency to go into fields such as education instead of engineering.  So there, you would rather teach little Johnny than build the Brooklyn Bridge.  Your fault. 

But the major reason for the gap, again according to Suze, is a woman's total inability to stand up for what she is worth.  It seems women loath negotiating salaries.  A great big generalization but that, at least for Suze, explains the majority of the wage inequality.  A bit slim on statistics but women are 2.5 times more likely than men to say they feel a great deal of apprehension about wage negotiations.  Keep that word 'say' in mind for later.

So here, ladies, is the six point solution according to Suze--

1) Good soldiers are destined to be underpaid.  Just do your job and you will never be rewarded.

2) It's not personal.  Your boss is not your friend.  He (it always is a he) needs to respect you, not like you so go punch him in the nose and then ask for a raise.

3) Document your accomplishments.  Duh.

4)  State your case.  But leave your gun at home.

5)  Be prepared to counter.  Or be ready to be behind the counter because you may soon find yourself at Starbucks.

6)  Be prepared to walk.  Humming "I Am Woman" as you go.

Ok, before anybody jumps all over me I do think women are underpaid as they (another generalization but...) tend toward jobs in education and such.  But education is generally a non-profit industry so how are you going to make the big bucks if there is no profit? 

But here is the dirty little secret--men don't negotiate either.  We got a hint earlier-"seems that women are 2.5 times more likely than men to SAY they feel a great deal of apprehension about wage negotiations."  Does anybody really believe that a guy is going to admit to being apprehensive about wage negotiations?  We guys are still so screwed up that we would not admit, upon penalty of death, to being apprehensive about anything.  When guys have reviews we sit there meekly like misbehaving third graders but when we come out we are Supermensch relating stories of our demands and bosses wilting under our attacks.  Oh, some guys do demand things (I know of one guy who actually still has a job but there is always an exception to the rule) and I am sure that there are women out there that demand things and get away with it but again, the exceptions.

Confrontation does work in the short run.  Just as bullying works until a bigger bully comes on the scene. 

I have never negotiated a salary increase or a salary for that matter.  I come from the 'take it or leave it' school of wage equality.  Did I always make the biggest salary?  No.  Did I get screwed?  Yes.  Did the things work out?  Yes.  One short anecdote on how that can happen.  Seems I was just promoted to the exalted position of manager.  I didn't manage anything including the new hire we were after to spread the work around.  This new senior analyst would report to another manager with a dotted line (never quite understood dotted lines) to me.  And the word went out through the kingdom that our group, a high profile group, needed an analyst.  They signed up by the dozens and since I had just lately left their ranks, I knew most of them.  I have to admit I had a fiendish glow interviewing my former colleagues till I noticed one problem--they all made more than me.  Even with my promotion to manager  and my 'big' salary increase, I was making less than all of them.  I went to the treasurer and told him of the dilemma.  He hit the ceiling which for him was not easy as he was a slight man.  Soon I was surrounded by hordes of HR people all bowing and scraping because my boss had gone to the CFO who went to the CEO who called up the VP of Human Resources and was told to fix it--fast.  So I got a nice little chunk of change and some credits with my boss and the Human Resource people since I didn't make a big stink out of it.

That is the key--don't make a big stink out of it.  If you feel you are getting screwed; find out, work hard, ask your boss how you are doing, room for improvement, any new challenges.  If the situation does not improve, look around and vote with your feet by taking a new job.  If you are good, there are people out there looking for you. 

But don't go in and negotiate at the end of a gun.  People have long memories and what goes around, comes around.

 

Comments

[Max Marco Maidak]

Does a company ever pay you for the true value that you create? It's not likely. If the value going out does not equal the value coming in, then there's a problem.

That being said, I'm not asking for a raise any time soon, but if the situation changes (which is nearly guaranteed) it would likely be that or take a hike.

Also, my understanding is that the figures for women earning less than men are usually controlled for known gender differences such as job selection, which makes such studies all the more striking.

[greg dahlen]

well, women live much longer than men even if they don't make as much money, so they must be doing something right

[Garry Valibesoff]

Hi! Your site is goodest! Congratulation! I'll be back ;)

[Stingy Student]

I think part of the reason can be attributed to the fact that females are the ones who are biologically outfitted to have kids. If men had to take weeks or even months off, I'm sure career advancement would be hindered.