How The Gender Wage Gap May Improve If Employers Arent Allowed To Ask

How The Gender Wage Gap May Improve If Employers Arent Allowed To Ask How much of the gender wage gap is caused by differences between the way that men and women negotiate their salaries? If its a big factor in unequal pay, is there anything that can be done? Tackling the gender pay gap isNew York City public advocate Letitia James goal when when she proposed a bill belastung week that would bar employers from asking job applicants about their salary histories.James stated goal is to reduce the gender pay gap.She introduced the measure on Wednesday by saying, Requesting a prospective employees salary history perpetuates inequitable wages for women and prolongs the cycle of wage discrimination.This follows a successful effort earlier this monthby the state legislature in Massachusetts, which adopted a similar equal pay law. These political and policy battles are being waged at a time when many people are starting to talk about the gender pay gap. In the past year, we have binnenseen t he U.S. soccer teams high-profile legal battle for equal pay, Hollywood celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence and Patricia Arquette taking up the issue and the White House creatingthe Equal Pay Pledge signed by the likes of Accenture, Airbnb, Amazon, American Airlines, Cisco, GapInc., Jet.com, LOreal USA, PepsiCo, Pinterest, Rebecca Minkoff, Salesforce, Slack, Spotify, and more.Equal pay and the gender wage gapare not just issues that appeal to our basic sense of fairness, but in a country where over 40% of American households with children have a female breadwinner, what women earn is also of great practical, day-to-day economic importance to families and the broader society.Moreover, women are paying close attention to the issue in their own workplaces 62% of over 1,600 women who said they experience gender inequality work when surveyed by Fairygodbossalso said that unequal pay is an issue for them. This inequality impacts womens job satisfaction and reduces the likelihood they will stay at their current employers, making equal pay a business and talent-retention issue.But will barring salary histories really reduce the gender pay gap? Those who worry about their incomebecause they have the disadvantage of a lower-than-fair salary history, should see some relief.Beyond that, its hard to knowmany factors create the gender pay gapin the first place.For instance, evenif employers in New York City are no longer allowed to ask prospective job applicants about their salary history, negotiation and negotiation skills will still be something women have to face and conquer.Thereis some evidence that women negotiate differently than men and that women tend to negotiate less often for their own salaries when compared to men. While many chalk this up to a lack of confidence, other academic research suggests that this may be rational behavior because women may actually be penalized for being perceived as aggressive.However,context and individual nuances matter quite a lot, as some women have demonstrated superior negotiating results when it comes to advocating for others (as opposed to themselves) andsome have a particular professional style or mind-set that makes them more successful at negotiation.In the end, it seems there is little conclusive evidence that gender is a dispositive factor in how successfully one negotiates.Though barring salary history questions is a good step in the right direction, theres still work to be done by companies, advocates and women in the workforce to eliminatethe gender pay gap.Fairygodboss is committed to improving the workplace and lives of women.Join us by reviewing your employer