Equal Pay Day tips
by digby
I didn’t realize we’d passed equal pay day on April 12th. That’s the day when women officially caught up to what men earned in 2010. Huzzah.
My corporate ladder climbing days are behind me (thank goodness) and I’ve resigned myself to being poor — and free. But there was a time when I fought this good fight every day. And it was intensely frustrating. I had hoped it would be over by the time I reached this point in life — it seemed as though we should only have to turn over the old grand patriarchs to do it. But it hasn’t been that easy.
However, there are some good tips out there for younger women from those who’ve been around the corporate block. Here’s a great list from Ann Friedman. I’ll just give you a taste of a couple of them that really hit home for me:
But don’t negotiate too hard, lest you be seen as a total harpy. “People found that to be way too aggressive,” economist Linda Babcock told NPR in February. “She was successful in getting the money, but people did not like her. They thought she was too demanding. And this can have real consequences for a woman’s career.”Be more cutthroat. The working world rewards go-getters and alphas, and nice gals finish last. Toughen up and maybe you’ll get that corner office!But don’t, like, be a ball-busting bitch once you get there. Studies have shown that employees, both male and female, are wary of working for high-achieving women. And since only 20 percent of professional leaders are women, you’ve got to represent your whole gender. Do us all a favor and don’t make all of your employees hate you.Get comfortable on the golf course. Know your way around a humidor. Suggest a post-work happy hour at the local strip club. The real deals all happen outside the workplace, you know.But don’t be too uptight about it when those outside-the-workplace meetings happen in places that still explicitly ban you.
Also be sure to work harder than any man, but be careful that nobody sees you as toiling too much lest you be categorized as a “worker bee” and consigned to middle management.
And never, ever, complain about how few women are in executive positions or in any other way indicate that you see the inequities to which you are subjected. That means you aren’t one of the boys. But then, of course, you’re not.
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