How to Get Equal Pay for Equal Work
July 20, 2004 -- Recent sex-discrimination lawsuits — Boeing and Morgan Stanley settled two major cases last week — have brought the wage gap back into the spotlight.
On a national basis, women simply are not paid the same wages as men, although the disparity does seem to be shrinking. According to a recent report by the U.S. Census Bureau, women earn 77 percent of what men do, compared with 59 percent 40 years ago.
We took to the streets to find out what questions women wanted to know regarding how they can get that coveted raise and ensure they are receiving equal pay for equal work.
Question: How should I go about asking for my first salary and how do I know if I'm being paid fairly?
Mellody's Answer: The career center at your law, business or undergraduate school is an excellent starting point. The center will likely have a wealth of resources on salary comps and information on the starting salaries of previous graduates going into similar practice areas. Keep in mind geography plays a major role in salaries so do not automatically assume you deserve the high end of the range. For example, if you live in Des Moines, Iowa, you do not want to assume you will be paid the same salary as a first-year attorney in Manhattan. Additionally, there are many helpful Web sites like Salary.com and the United States Department of Labor, which allow you to enter specific information about your profession, experience and location to get a general salary range. Other sources of good information on salaries are trade associations as well as the Web sites of competitors linked under their careers tabs.
Finally, it is critical for you to use your information wisely to negotiate your starting salary. When the financial offer is made, if it does not correspond to the ranges you have seen, you want to go back to the potential employer and gently ask if they will reconcile the difference. This is a good indication to them that you have done your research.
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