Alive HR

There was a lot of buzz last year that women still make significantly less in many professions, on average, than men; here’s just one post by CNNMoney.com. Somehow in all the discussion, I missed this particular aspect: according to author and Carnegie Mellon professor Linda Babcock, far fewer women than men ask for raises, and far fewer female candidates attempt to negotiate a pay offer.  According to this article and others, the differences between the genders in this regard are dramatic. We’re not talking 60%/40%, it’s more like 80%/10% [men ask/women don't]. Women would rather settle for a smaller salary than face the discomfort of negotiation, apparently.

And then here’s yet another wrinkle, a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don’t dilemma: a Harvard IdeaCast suggests women pay a financial cost when they fail to ask for more money, yet they pay a significant social cost when they try to negotiate.   Guest Whitney Johnson, partner and co-founder of the investment firm Rose Park Advisors, suggests women are often socially shunned for making the ask; whereas, while men’s requests are not always honored, they are not made at risk of social capital.

We haven’t touched the issue of many women voluntarily stepping out of the paid workforce for long periods to care for children or ailing relatives. How does that figure in?

I don’t have any magic wands to wave to solve the gender pay issue, but Linda Babcock’s study sure grabbed my attention today. If you have any thoughts, chime in on the comments section.