With all the talk of economic instability, it may seem untoward to be thinking about how to ask for a raise but if you have demonstrated the value you bring to your company, it very well may be feasible. In fact, smart companies are more likely to want to keep their top talent satisfied in challenging times.
The May/June issue of Pink Magazine (cited here before) included 2007 survey results which indicated that 51% of women had asked for a raise, perk or promotion (down from 54% in 2006). And it paid to ask - of those who did, 79% heard “yes”.
When you get ready to broach the subject, start by benchmarking what you should be paid. Penelope Trunk (The Brazen Careerist) mentioned a few online sources she recommends in a recent post. This step is critical for women who get much better outcomes when they negotiate for themselves armed with good information.
TAGS: Economy, income, income disparity, negotiating pay, Negotiation, negotiation skills, Penelope Trunk, recession, strategies for success, Women and Money, women's equality
As usual, over the weekend, I had the chance to catch up on some reading - the April 21 issue of New York Magazine was one of the things I read. Amanda Fortini’s article, The Feminist Reawakening, published before the Pennsylvania primary, makes the point that the media treatment of Hillary Clinton not only reminds some women that we still have a long way to come but has had the unintended benefit of making other (younger) women aware of just how thin that pink line really is.
However things turn out for Senator Clinton’s candidacy, this is a good thing.
TAGS: Feminism, Hillary Clinton, Political skills, Politics, politics at work, power, women leaders, women's equality
I’ve often thought it odd that people seem to be more reluctant to talk about their income than their sex lives-but that may be changing. The NY Times reported yesterday that young people are more likely to share information about salary information (see Not-So-Personal Finance). This trend is good news for women; the more women know about what others are making, the more likely they are to ask for what they are worth.
As you may know, the gender gap in pay affects not only older women but younger women as well. For example, starting salaries of men with MBAs are 7.6% higher than those for women. Only 7% of women, but 57% of men asked for more money; those who negotiated increased starting salaries by 7.4%.
One of the things that makes the difference for women is good information. So, keep up the sharing!
TAGS: differences between women and men, Fairness at work, financial planning, gaining confidence, negotiating pay, negotiation skills, Pay Disparity, Women at Work, women's equality
I attended The White House Project EPIC Awards last Thursday held at The American Museum of Natural History in New York. We were all seated beneath the huge blue whale that hangs from the ceiling. It was a celebration of 10 years The White House Project has devoted to enhancing women’s progress in a wide variety of fields. As their website indicates, this job is far from over. There have been a lot of derogatory remarks made about "old feminists" lately because Hillary Clinton is in the race for President. But, truth be told, none of us makes it to the top of our fields alone. We all need help. And we all stand on the shoulders of giants. So the next time you read or hear someone disparaging women who’ve stuck their necks out, like the tall tree that catches the wind, trying to advance women’s options, tell them that. We need each other. That doesn’t preclude helping men. It just means we should all consider from time to time what we’ve contributed lately to helping women reach higher levels of business, government, and other fields dominated by men. And getting there is only part of the battle. Staying there requires help from other women too. We’re a long way from both goals and we need each other.
TAGS: Feminism, Leadership, The White House Project, women's equality
