For years, women have been encouraged to speak up more in the workplace, particularly regarding pay raises. Past research has suggested that one reason behind the pervasive gender pay gap is that women don’t ask for raises and promotions as often as their male counterparts. But a new report is countering that. Turns out, women are asking—they’re just being rejected more often.
A March analysis of a survey conducted by Pew found that women who attempt to negotiate higher pay with prospective employers are more likely to be turned down than men. 38% of women said that, after vying for a salary bump, they received only the employer’s initial offer, compared to 31% of men who asked for more money.
“Even though women have increased their presence in higher-paying jobs traditionally dominated by men, such as professional and managerial positions, women as a whole continue to be overrepresented in lower-paying occupations relative to their share of the workforce,” Carolina Aragão, research associate at Pew, wrote in the report. “This may contribute to gender differences in pay. Other factors that are difficult to measure, including gender discrimination, may also contribute to the ongoing wage discrepancy.”
This new data suggests that the gender wage chasm is nowhere near closing.
On National Equal Pay Day (March 14) data software brand Payscale Inc., shared the results of its 2023 Gender Pay Gap Report (GPGR) with ESSENCE and the numbers are shocking.
The report largely underscored that the gender pay gap is not only still adversely affecting women, but it’s also narrowing at an excruciatingly slow pace.
The report found that in 2023, for every dollar that men make, women earn $0.83 when data are uncontrolled and only gender is accounted for. Although this is one cent higher than last year’s average ($0.82), it still adds up to a loss of $900,000 for women over a lifetime.
“The uncontrolled gender pay gap, often called the ‘opportunity gap,’ tells us that high-earning, prestigious jobs favor men while women’s work is less valued,” said Ruth Thomas, pay equity strategist at Payscale. “The controlled gender pay gap tells us that women are still paid less than men for equal work, for no attributable reason,” “Both metrics are important, and together they highlight the wealth and power imbalance that continue to exist between men and women in our society.”