Great job yesterday with the discussion about work-life balance! Today we will be transitioning to perceptions and expectations. Many young public relations professionals enter the workforce under the assumption they will receive equal pay in the field. After all, two candidates with the same capabilities and qualifications should be treated as equals regardless of gender, right? Not quite. The field field unfortunately still places men in higher positions of leadership with larger salaries. A recent European survey found men are twice as likely to earn a higher salary than women in PR. How can a field dominated by women still uphold traditional conceptions that men belong in higher positions of power? Could this ever change?
We are seeing an increase in women leaders. Woman who are extremely capable and deserving of their top-level positions. Perhaps this trend will continue into the future and we will begin to see more of an even playing field, especially with so many determined women taking the initiative to do so. The book, Getting Even: Why Women Don't Get Paid Like Men--And What to Do About It, provides some great insight on this issue. You can find a preview of it here. It discusses some of the reasoning behind why men still are paid more in nearly every field and what women can do to "get even."
Have a great day and happy posting!
Sabrina
Sabrina,
ReplyDeleteI think one of things that is interesting about the wage gap is that women, as a rule, are less able to make the salary demands that men feel comfortable with. (Not all, men, by the way.)
When you observe parents and children on the playground you see some of the roots of this. If you hang around for a few hours you will see that girls are more frequently asked to consider the needs of the other children, to take turns, and to share than the boys are. In fact, the boys are frequently encouraged to "work it out for themselves" and their rude actions (not sharing the swings or cutting in line) are explained away with a "boys will be boys" statement. This is training for getting what you want (deserve) in the future.
When the girls receive this training, they develop a "take turns" attitude in life. It is a good ethic for many things in the work place and in life in general. That's why women tend to be stronger in group work situations than men. But this is not a good strategy for wages.
Women have to learn to be demanding and make the ask. They have to push themselves to the front of the line to get to parity.
This will require coaching and a general shift in our sense of fairness. We have the laws in place, now we need the attitudes.
After reading Dr. Alexander's post, I Googled "how to ask for more money when you're female." I have to say, I was surprised with the number of articles and blogs that appeared regarding this very issue. Apparently, many women fail to "make the ask." Sounds like this topic - learning how to ask for more money - could make for an interesting follow-up session, e.g., chapter meeting, additional blog posts, etc. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that this could be an interesting follow-up topic. Women, in general, are typical considered to be more passive than their male counterparts. I feel as though the topic of compensation and "asking for money" is a sensitive subject for everyone, women and men alike. Our society, as a whole, tends to treat money with gentle hands. i think it's important that women take the initiate to "make the ask," as Jennie put. We may be able to change this notion about women receiving less money simply by changing our own attitudes about what we deserve and what we should essentially ask for.
ReplyDeleteForgot to sign my name in the previous post, that was Sabrina!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Missy and Jennie. Your comments reinforce several points made earlier this week. Young boys and girls are often conditioned by adults to act according to gender roles. Girls learn to be polite and boys learn to be aggressive.
ReplyDeleteI was telling Missy today that I remember my parents' reaction to my first fist-fight as a young adolescent male. I came to them bleeding from the mouth and nose. My mother became very distraught and upset at seeing me ... I thought I was going to be in trouble. When my father saw me, he asked, "How does the other boy look." I told him he looked worse than me and my father slapped me on the back, smiled, and said, "Atta boy, you're becoming a man!"
How's that for gender stereotyping?
Mark