Asking during the hiring phase for a salary that is fair is a good start.

As if shaking up the world of sports coverage is not enough, new WNBA draft Caitlin Clark is embodying the gross discrepancy in pay for women for the same work as men.

According to CBS News, the former University of Iowa basketball superstar will make $76,000 in her first year with the Indiana Fever. That compares to “rookie Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 NBA draft pick last year, whose 2023-24 season salary was more than $12 million,” according to ABC News.

No worries for Clark, though, as she recently signed a $28 million deal with Nike.

Another high profile example of the gender pay disparity is actor Olivia Colman, who told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, “I’m very aware that if I was Oliver Colman, I’d be earning … a lot more than I am … I know of one pay disparity, which is a 12,000% difference.”

Both Clark and Colman are in the spotlight as keen examples of the historic reason for pay difference being outdated and out of touch with the high audience numbers for both women’s sports and women-led Hollywood films and series.

“Both @CaitlinClark22 and Olivia Colman are in the spotlight as keen examples of the historic reason for pay difference being outdated and out of touch. #paygap”

Variety reports that she said, “Don’t get me started on the pay disparity, but male actors get paid more because they used to say they drew in the audiences. And actually, that hasn’t been true for decades, but they still like to use that as a reason to not pay women as much as their male counterparts.”

Because of these shining demonstrations of the pervasive gender gap, more are paying attention to the inequities across most all industries and career levels—particularly once those identifying as women reach the C-suite. Only extremely modest advances toward fair pay across gender identities have happened in the last 20 years and generationally, the gap varies.

“Only extremely modest advances toward #fairpay across gender identities have happened in the last 20 years and generationally, the gap varies. ”

In 2022, “women earned an average of 82% of what men earned, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of median hourly earnings of both full- and part-time workers. These results are similar to where the pay gap stood in 2002, when women earned 80% as much as men.”

Workers identifying as women ages 25-34 earn 92 cents for every dollar men earn. That distinction points to a positive direction of those coming into the system approaching equity, more than older workers who have not had the benefit of fair pay throughout their entire careers.

“Workers identifying as women ages 25-34 earn 92 cents for every dollar men earn. ”

In the 54 years between 1967 to 2021, “women experienced a cumulative loss of $61 trillion in wages due to the gender wage gap—nearly double the U.S. government debt in 2022,” American Progress reports.

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that, “In 2021, full-time, year-round working women earned 84% of what their male counterparts earned.”

The pay gap also varies greatly by industry, as Statista reports that the highest gap is in technical and professional services with an average difference of $1,736 per week in earnings. The lowest gap is for nondurable goods and manufacturing with a weekly wage gap of $856 a week.

In professions such as finance and law, where employees are compensated hourly at very high rates, women tend not to stay in those positions because of the incredibly high hourly demand.

Darden News reports, “A gender pay gap is sustained in these jobs because women are more likely to choose a more flexible path that does not have such high rewards for overwork.” They quote Nobel Prize winner Claudine Goldin, who “calls this issue the ‘last chapter’ in the converging economic roles of men and women.”

Bias and discrimination play key roles at the start of recruiting, hiring and into retention.

“Bias and #discrimination play key roles at the start of recruiting, #hiring and into retention. ”

Darden News reports that University of Virginia Professor Allison Elias, author of “The Rise of Corporate Feminism, says, "We cannot attribute these trends to women’s choices alone. Legal constraints, economic structures and gender norms have also played a role in shaping women’s preferences and choices."

In ON Partners 2024 Women’s Report, the data shows “executive women earning an average of $452K, compared to executive men’s average of $461K.”

Hunt Scanlan reports that since 2015, there has been a remarkable surge of women in C-suite and senior VP positions. While women still face underrepresentation across the corporate pipeline, the number of women in the C-suite has increased from 17 to 28 percent

ON partner Suzanne Zebedee says, “The executive positions where we look to source and recruit first-time CEOs are COO, CCO, and CBO roles,” she said. “It would be great to have more women gaining experience in these C-level roles as a pathway to increase women executive leaders and women CEOs in the industry.”

Of course all of these data points are for women across identities including race. White women consistently earn more than most groups of women.

“White women consistently earn more than most groups of women. #wagegap #bias”

Afro reports, “For Black, Latina, and Indigenous women, the wage gap problem is compounded by racial and gender discrimination, along with occupational segregation. These factors not only contribute to pay disparity with White men, but also Asian women and White women. Because of the type of jobs these women work, many of which are hourly positions with little to no options for retirement savings, health insurance and other benefits, this pay discrepancy adds to the racial wealth gap for each racial and ethnic group.”

National Partnership for Women and Families President Jocelyn Frye tells Afro, “We know that centering women of color and the economic narrative is really critical to the economic growth of our families and our nation.”

Globally the gender pay gap is also a concern and according to PWC, the member countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, point to a widening—worsening—gender pay gap to 13.5 % in the past year. There has been “only a gradual improvement since 2011, narrowing by just 3.3 percentage points through to 2022.”

The OECD reports it will take another five decades to close the average pay gap.

“The @OECD reports it will take another five decades to close the average #paygap.”

That is a far rosier view, as the World Economic Forum, declares, “closing the gender pay gap will require over 169 years.” So here are five steps you can take to help close the pay gap for yourself and to start to change systems.

1. Ask for more. From the very start of recruitment, ask for a higher salary than you have been paid. Do research on the organization or company and see what the average salary is and if employees say the organization is fair across DEIA initiatives. IMD reports that men have “an average sign-on bonus of $143K and women of $129K. As it pertained to average base salaries, executive women negotiated a higher base pay.  This data suggests that women are placing more emphasis on immediate salary compensation benefits.”

“Ask for more. From the very start of recruitment, ask for a higher salary than you have been paid. #compensation #negotiation”

2. Raise your hand. Speak up in meetings, get noticed and ask for credit where credit is due. IMD reports, “In mixed gender groups, women receive and claim less credit, which could influence reward allocation. The gender wage gap is exacerbated in male-dominated occupations and is lessened in female-dominated occupations. Rewarding individual contributions in interdependent work settings is more complex and can sustain and worsen gender inequality, particularly in traditionally male settings.

3. Negotiate aggressively. So many women I know take the first salary offer they get in hiring for a new job or different position. Don’t. Respond that you are worth more—not that you need more, but that the company needs you more. If you can’t have the salary you require, then ask about earning bonuses. Or cut down the hours and requirements.

“Respond that you are worth more—not that you need more, but that the company needs you more. #wagegap”

4. Contact local, state and federal policy makers. In addition to the Paycheck Fairness Act, there are states that prohibit asking about recent salaries, and other locales where it is the law to be transparent about salaries and bonuses per job description. According to American Progress, “Policymakers at the federal and state levels have a suite of policy options ready at their disposal to continue to make long-overdue progress on closing the gender wage gap. This includes raising the minimum wage, passing pay transparency and paid leave laws, improving funding for anti-discrimination enforcement, and banning the use of salary history in hiring decisions.” The systems need to change and your advocacy can help this happen.

5. Ask for regular performance reviews. If there is a discrepancy between your salary and others, ask for documentation on what value you bring to the organization. Prove your value and show successes, outcomes and improvements. You can’t take home a fair wage unless you are treated fairly.

“If there is a discrepancy between your #salary and others, ask for documentation on what value you bring to the organization. #wagegap”

It’s time.

In its Zero Gap Forward Blueprint, IMD reports, “Our approach isn’t about rectifying yesterday’s mistakes; it’s about preventing their recurrence tomorrow. Our Zero Gap Forward Blueprint transcends mere policy; it signifies a paradigm shift. It represents a transition from the past to the future, from excuses to deliberate action.”

Leadership Takeaway of The Week

“We know that centering women of color and the economic narrative is really critical to the economic growth of our families and our nation.” Jocelyn Frye, president, National Partnership for Women and Families

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About the Author

Michele Weldon is editorial director of Take The Lead, an award-winning author, journalist, emerita faculty in journalism at Northwestern University and a senior leader with The OpEd Project. @micheleweldon www.micheleweldon.com