Quote:
Originally Posted by agzg
If their job codes and duties are the same, with the same or similar duties, and the same or similar education/time with the company, then yes, they should be paid the same. Although the ones that suck should be weeded out. That has nothing to do with gender. But if they are doing the same things, yes, they should be paid the same (merit raises not included, although merit raises may add another layer because how do they demonstrate that merit raises aren't determined taking gender into account).
It's frustrating, to me, that basically this same bill keeps getting voted down. I believe a same or similar bill was voted down last year, maybe the year before. However, I'm clear on the fact that regardless of the legislation women will still be (statistically) paid less than men due to societal perspective of the value of women in the workforce.
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I think the tricky thing is that a lot of times it's not a company going "We're going to pay the men 60k, and we're only going to pay the women 45k". I think a lot of times women may not be as aggressive as men in asking for raises or asking for a higher starting salary. Typically, girls aren't raised to be as aggressive as boys. I know I was kinda raised that way, and I know I'm not as aggressive about promoting my own self-interests and my own career ambitions as I could be.
And in my experience with job hunting, very few companies list the salary in job postings. Instead, they ask applicants to state their salary requirements. You can research online and find salary ranges for the type of position you're applying for. But if, for example, the salary range is 45k-60k and I'm not self-confident and self-assured enough to ask for more the minimum (45k), the company probably is just going to give me 45k. They're probably not going to say "Oh, well, we budgeted 60k for this position, so that's what we'll give you." Whereas If I had been very confident in my self, in my skills, and in my worth to ask for 60k, I would have gotten 60k in the scenario.
While legislation to prevent companies from discriminating is good, I think part of closing the pay gap is going to involve teaching girls to advocate for themselves. I think a lot of girls are taught to be empathetic and to think of others, care for others, and nurture others. But I think we also need to teach girls to think of themselves, and that it's not a bad thing to promote one's own self-interests.
This article kinda explains what I mean.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/jobcen...g-skills_N.htm