Photo credit: https://40percentandrising.com
On the heels of Equal Pay Day this week, SheKnows Media hosted an important conversation with no other than President Obama himself around women’s issues, such as wage equality, women in tech, student loans and early childhood care. However, as much as most of us are talking the talk when it comes to equal pay at work, can we really talk about it at work? I mean, in between two sips of your morning coffee, can you just hit your boss up with a quick gender wage gap statistic, and ask how that applies to your office? Or casually take up a bet with your co-worker about how much more he makes than you, doing exactly the same job (except when he has to leave early for the department’s basketball team practice, oh wait, is that still considered work?)? Really, can you even utter the words “Equal Pay” further than your keyboard as you’re reading the announcement the co-worker you trained for months got your promotion?
My $0.05: We’ve come a long way when it comes to equal pay, and there are many ways you can help make it a reality. Yet, discussing it in direct terms with your boss or at the water cooler station may not be one of them (at least not if you want to keep your job). It’s like talking about politics, race, or how hard it is to be a woman working full-time and raising kids. It’s all true, relevant, and important, but no one (or at least very few) seem to believe it even exists.
What you can do though, is join women’s groups at your workplace, or your community, and talk about your own experiences with equal pay. It’s easier to come up with a plan of action as a group than fighting the status quo alone, well, unless you’re Superwoman…(which you kinda are…)
What do you think? Should you keep quiet about equal pay at work?
The Corporate Sis.
