Closing the Gender Wage Gap: Looking Beyond the External Factors

It is no secret that there are women everywhere doing the same jobs as our male counterparts - and earning lower salaries to so.

Closing the wage gap is a complex problem that will require multiple solutions. Many of the suggested solutions focus on external factors - like better education and job training programs, or more regulations to prevent discrimination in hiring practices. While these are important steps that should be taken, to truly close the gender pay gap, we must be willing to look beyond the external factors.

Here are some of the biggest internal factors that still affect the wage gap today:

Women often feel uncomfortable advocating for themselves in the workplace

Women are typically less assertive when it comes to advocating for themselves and their career goals, which makes them seem less confident than their male counterparts. As a result, they may not get as many promotions or opportunities for salary increases that men would get if they were more vocal about what they wanted from their careers.

Because women are less likely to advocate for themselves, it can to them being passed up for promotions, career opportunities, and salary increases - while those opportunities are given to more assertive (seemingly more confident) men.

Change starts from the inside. In order to address these external views on women, we must first address our internal views on ourselves. We, as women, must be willing to see our own worth and be brave enough to ask for it. We must be willing to stand up for ourselves and our rights in the workplace - it is only then that we can truly close the gender pay gap.

Women are less comfortable negotiating their salaries

Simply put - most women don't ask. Though some women do negotiate the salaries they are initially offered, many do not. This can mean that they end up accepting lower salaries than their male counterparts who have negotiated for higher ones. It is estimated that men negotiate these higher salaries 4 times as often as women.

Purely from a business standpoint, it makes sense to keep your employees happy and your costs down. Which means, if women are willing to take a lower salary, there's no reason to offer a higher one if the business doens't have to.

This is another internal place we, as women, can start to address the gender wage gap. We must be willing to ask for more. We must be willing to negotiate. It's true, you may get told no, but if you aren't willing to ask - you are telling yourself no.

Women are less likely ask for promotions

Women are often hesitant to ask for promotions or raises as they fear that it will put them in a bad light. They believe that when they are worth of a promotion or pay increase - it will simply be offered. But this isn't always the case.

If you don't ask, the answer will always be no. We, as women, can address this by being more proactive in asking for what we want - and deserve. We can start by having open conversations with our supervisors about our career and income goals.

On an internal level, this comes down to our self concept. We must be willing to see our own worth and be brave enough to ask for it. First and foremost, you must believe that you are worth the promotion or salary increase. If you don't truly believe this about yourself, neither will anyone else. If you believe you are going to get told no, you likely will. Once you truly believe in your own value and worth, make the ask. The results might surprise you. (Though they shouldn't, because you are absolutely amazing and deserving of everything this world has to offer.)

Women are expected to be the primary caretaker at home

This is both and internal and external block for many women. Externally, the world still expects women to be the ones to stay home with the kids, care for the children while they are young, take care of the sick relative, leave early to pick up the kids from school, attend all the sporting events, keep the house together, track the doctors appointments, prepare the meals, and the list goes on and on.

The same can be said for how women feel about themselves. They often feel guilty if they are not the ones handling all of those things - even tho it is okay to ask for help.

Because women are more likely to take on these unpaid labors of love - largely due to their natural hearts for service, women typically make up the majority of these (incredible) caregivers. As a result, we end up spending more of our time on unpaid labor than men. But it's no secret that these extra tasks lead to women having less time for professional tasks, further widening the wage gap.

(And I want to be clear that women are absolutely amazing for taking on all of these tasks with love and grace - if these are the tasks that fuel your fire, then don't let anyone tell you that you should be spending more time in the workplace. But, if spending time in the workplace, in yoru zone of genius is where your cup is filled, ask for the help. You deserve it.)

The best way to address this internal and external block when it comes to lowering the wage gap is to be willing to ask for help. Be in from your spouse, a family member, friend, or hiring outside help to focus on the things that we, as women, don't want to consume our time so that we CAN focus on the things we are more passionate about and will fill our cups and fuel our spirits.

Conclusion

Closing the gender pay gap is a much of an internal journey as it is an external problem. On an internal level, it is imperative that women learn to ask for what they are worth and believe in their own value. We must also be willing to ask for help with the unpaid labor of love, so we can focus on professional tasks if that is what we truly wish to do.

Recognizing our own self-worth and having an open dialogue about career goals with supervisors are key first steps toward achieving financial equality between men and women. By empowering ourselves, we empower generations of future female leaders who won't have to face this same obstacle. If we, as women, are brave enough to take these internal strides, we will be well on our way to making a huge difference in decreasing the gender wage gap.

Let's do this!