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Why Women Make Less Money

by Christine(Yuna) on February 22nd, 2006

It’s quite simple. We don’t ask for it the way man does.

Does any of the following scenarios sound familiar:

1. A woman thinks that she is due for a raise after working for the same company for so long. But she feels too awkward to bring up the topic.
2. A woman goes into a performance review and hoping for approval. She gets immense satisfaction from positive feedbacks. She is so grateful after receiving a pad on the shoulder and forgets about asking for the cash reward.
3. When a woman asks for raises, she uses reasons such as a family hardship or upcoming wedding costs instead of bragging about her achievement and why she deserves the extra cash.
4. When the boss comes up with all kinds of excuses for not giving her a raise, she believes that her boss will look after her best interests in the future and walks out empty handed.

I believe in today’s society, women perform equally as well as men and therefore, deserve the same paycheck. The sad reality is that we usually make 10% less than our male counterparts. How do men get what they want in the corporate world? Cosmopolitan March issue ran a small story and offered a few meaningful tips:

• They Ask for it. In a 2002 survey of working women, only 16% said they always negotiated salary. 41% women never brought that topic up. Boys don’t play that way. They believe there is always wiggle room and they ask and negotiate to get what they want. Hey, it’s all about business. There is nothing shy about asking for the money we deserve, right? So, do your homework, know what your position pays and ask for it. If cash isn’t possible, ask for more vacation days or bonuses.
• They track their wins. Men usually keep a mental log of their successes and make sure their bosses know about them as they happen. They will never let go easily of the credits and make sure they use these factors as negotiation tools. “The biggest mistake women make is viewing this behavior as shameless self-promotion”, says negotiation coach Jim Thomas, author of Negotiate to Win. So gals, pay more attention to your achievements and yes, make everybody aware of what you did.
• They are not distracted by praise. Approval isn’t enough for men. They want cash reward! So the next time when your boss says, “Nice work”, ask to reflect that “nice work” in your paycheck. A few reminds after you’ve done something great for the team will put you in a much better position when you negotiate raises during the once a year performance review.
• They don’t make it personal. Men don’t use wedding dress or any non-work related reasons to guilt higher-ups into giving them a bigger raise. Again, state why you deserve the bigger raise from your achievement and performance on the job. Also keep in mind that men don’t worry that asserting their demands will impact their relationship with their bosses. The boss has a budget agenda and he/she does understand that it is your job to look after your best financial interests. Hey, it’s all about business again. Nothing personal.
• They expect moments of discomfort. Money is an awkward topic and you may nervously chit chat and compromises any ground you’ve gained. The hard truth is that a guy will stick to his guns after he’s made his case even if he needs to deal with awkward silence and negotiation.

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