But for most women, they can't afford to wait for a company, an organization or a political group to try and fix the gender gap. And even if they do FIX what they think is the problem, it doesn't mean that YOU will earn more money.
Think about the recent Google study - where men were found to be getting paid less than their female counterparts and the men received pay raises.
The recent Google study has garnered national attention because they claim that men were being paid less than women doing the same job (remember - gender inequality means that a man is being paid more than a women doing the same job, with the same level of performance. In other words, it isn't gender pay discrimination if a female accountant with 1 year of experience is making less than a male engineer with 5 years of experience. They are doing different jobs that are worth different pay levels in the marketplace and these pay levels are influenced by their experience and performance.)
Some people believe the study was flawed. They believe the women had lower starting salaries or were being compared to the wrong men. These critics believe that the women in this study at Google should be in higher level jobs and because they weren't they looked like they were being paid well. Because if they were in the right, higher level job, they would be making less than their male peers.
But no outsider can know whether a person is in the right job. Only Google knows that. And Google is now reportedly doing a leveling analysis to determine whether women are being hired into lower level jobs than they should be - jobs where they would be considered overqualified.
The real takeaway is that most companies are NOT Google - most companies are not proactively and publicly addressing potential equity issues. Yes, many are. But there are thousands and thousands of companies - many are privately-held, small and just trying to survive let alone engage in proactive HR practices.
So why would you sit and wait for some outside force to hopefully, someday impact your pay levels?
The real questions are - what does it really mean? And what can YOU do about it?
Here is my point: Don't let whether there IS or ISN'T a pay gap get in your way. Why?
- Because you can't afford to wait for someone else to change your current situation. Until you take control yourself, you will continue to be underpaid or even paid the same as your peers when you want to be earning more.
- Because whether there is or isn't a gender gap at your current employer shouldn't stop you from earning more money. It shouldn't stop you from learning how to play the game at your own company and increase your pay. It shouldn't stop you from understanding your value and contributions and learning how to leverage that value into more money.
- Because to be a leader, you need to learn how to play the compensation game. You need to find your voice (not just in compensation, but in all areas of your work).
- Because if you want people to follow you, you need to be positive, engaging and persuasive. You need to be a team player. You need to partner with EVERYONE at your company (men too) to be successful
The more you fight and earn for yourself, the more you open the door for another woman.
The more you you fight for yourself (and women you manage), the more you create change in your own organization.
The more you promote yourself and other women in your organization, the more you move the need in the marketplace, forcing other companies to stay competitive and pay more for these women (and others).
Don't wait for the change to happen to maybe, hopefully, someday happen you - maybe. Learn how to earn more money now. Today. Learn how the compensation game actually works.
As a compensation consultant with 23 years of experience, I have worked with more companies than I can count - in all industries and at various stages of growth. From Fortune 50 to startups, I have had the privilege of working with great HR managers, leaders and executives. I have met hundreds and hundreds of highly successful and highly paid women. These women are valued by their companies. These women are highly valued by their peers (men and women). And these women are paid well because they knew how to play the game - not because they waited for someone else to realize they are worth it and to pay them more. I wrote Rise to the Top to share why these women are so successful. I share how they leverage their powerhouse personalities to earn more money.
Just because there is a gender gap somewhere at some companies for some women, doesn't mean there is one for you. You may not be getting paid less than your male counterparts performing the same role. But so what. That shouldn't stop you from earning more money.
Understand your value and your contributions and use that to earn more money, get promotions and earn a leadership spot where you can enact meaningful change for other women in your workplace who need help fighting for themselves. Women need to work together.
Then, and only then, will there be real, meaningful change on a larger scale.
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