You may not even know it's happening.
After I left a recent temp job, I learned that the male temps were earning nearly 50% more than the female temps. The group had gotten together and compared hourly salaries and discovered this shocking truth—some were earning much more than others, and the only commonality was gender. The tasks performed were exactly the same (in some cases the women had a good deal more responsibility than the men), the experience level was comparable, and even the level of education matched nearly across-the-boards.
So why the gap?
Part of the reason was that the male temps had negotiated a higher rate for themselves when they accepted the job. This was my fault—I was so grateful at that point, after a long and exhausting job search, to have anything, even temporary, that I fell and kissed the ground at their offer. I shouldn’t have leaped quite so quickly.
But even that only made up for a portion of the wage disparity; one male in particular with the exact same education level and experience as I had earned nearly twice what I earned. I highly doubt that my merely asking for it would have doubled my rate, and I learned upon further investigation that his starting offer had been higher than mine.
It’s upsetting that this occurs in this day and age, especially to someone like me who isn’t quiet about voicing my opinion when I see discrimination occurring. The problem was that while I was there, I had no idea that it was going on. By the time I found out, I no longer worked there and couldn’t do anything about it. (Incidentally, the other women still on the job found out and chose to do nothing—a disappointment all around, as this means the problem will be perpetual.)
If this is your circumstance, you may not even know it. But don’t worry, there is a lot you can do. Find out what in this week’s article: End the Gender Wage Gap.
