Women do ask for pay rises but don’t get them

When I asked for a raise, I would be told they couldn't afford to give a raise. When I would then go out and get a job offer for a higher salary, what do you know, suddenly they could afford to match it. People would tell me I was the best programmer/analyst their, but every time I found out how much a male co-worker was making, it was always more than I made.

Women do ask for pay rises but don’t get them
Date: September 5, 2016
Source: University of Warwick
Summary:
New research shows that women ask for wage rises just as often as men, but men are 25 per cent more likely to get a raise when they ask.

New research from the Cass Business School, the University of Warwick and the University of Wisconsin shows that women ask for wage rises just as often as men, but men are 25 per cent more likely to get a raise when they ask.

Using a randomly chosen sample of 4,600 workers across more than 800 employers, the research is the first to do a statistical test of the idea that women get paid less because they are not as pushy as men. The researchers found no support for the theory.

The authors of the study "Do Women Ask?" also examined the claim that female employees hold back for fear of upsetting their boss, and again found no evidence for this theory either.

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Using statistical methods, the authors' analysis shows that it is crucial to adjust for the number of hours worked (because part-time workers feel hesitant to 'ask'). The analysis also took into account the nature of the employer, the industry, and the characteristics and qualifications of workers.

Despite the dispiriting findings, the authors pinpointed one encouraging sign in the data -- young Australian female employees get pay hikes just as often as young Australian men.

Dr Goodall said: "This study potentially has an upside. Young women today are negotiating their pay and conditions more successfully than older females, and perhaps that will continue as they become more senior."

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