Published on Mommy Tracked (http://www.mommytracked.com)

Pay Parity Paradox.

by Denise Berger








Generally speaking, women inherently seek equality and a sense of community, and to be identified through similarities. As girls, we choose a set of rules and play by them. Conversely, it is common for men to compete to be the best, to win, to get the perks, to be on a higher footing, and to dominate. As boys, each change the rules as the game is played, trying to one-up the other. In the book, Women Don't Ask [2], Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever point to research to substantiate why negotiations are more complex for women and, by association, why there is a real disparity in pay in the workforce. "A 'locus of control' scale measures the extent to which individuals believe that their behavior influences their circumstances." The lower a person scores, the more they believe that they have influence over circumstances; the higher the score, the less they believe in their influence over events. In a study conducted in over 14 countries, representing five continents, women yielded higher “locus of control” scores than men, meaning that women - more so than men - believe that "life happens to them.” This is further substantiated in the book, Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office [3] by Lois Frankel, which highlights that women wait to be recognized.


The truth is that the days of “waging corporate war” from lofty board rooms are archaic; this current era is about raising emotional intelligence to create better corporate governance and results. Says Chris Clarke in The XX Factor in the Boardroom: Why Women Make Better Directors, key characteristics among modern day leaders, which yield the results and enhance performance, are “self-awareness, understanding the needs of others, and care for the team”. While men can exhibit these traits, by and large, women are had-wired, having been trained for decades, to: read people, manage aggression, soothe, promote teamwork, enhance communications, and balance short-term objectives with long term societal needs. So, let's give women more opportunity to compete, and for goodness sakes, pay us what you would if you put a man in that position. From there, women: play to win, step up and ask for what you think you deserve, and don’t be bashful. Showcase our best and dare we say-put the spotlight on our strengths that create some inequality in our favor. Shape the workplace of tomorrow and let's beat the 73-year clock!


Pay parity is a very serious matter for women in the workforce globally. We want to hear your ideas on how we can progress faster on this path and what the cost to business will be if we don’t.

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