How women can act to close the pay gap
Tgender pay gap is real. It is thriving across the world and the UK is no exception. Data from the Office for National Statistics estimates that it will take almost three decades to close the gender pay gap in the
UK, considering the rate of progress made from 2011 to 2023. This, for many women across the country, seems inconceivable.
Looking at Europe, the men’s Danish football team has been making headlines for refusing a salary increase to ensure equal pay between the men and women’s teams. Countries such as Luxembourg, Italy, Belgium and Poland are also making an impact in winning the race to close the gender pay gap. But it’s clear there is still a long way to go closer to home in ensuring gender pay parity.
The new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, the first female in UK history to assume the role, has vowed to close the gender pay gap “once and for all”. She’s eager to improve the position of women across the UK, including making sure they are properly rewarded at work, reviewing parental leave within the first year of government, and working with businesses to appoint more female executives.
Yet, when it comes to making career-changing decisions in the workplace, there is often a hesitation from females compared to their male counterparts, particularly when striving for high-level positions or asking for a higher salary. Research shows that 90% of females don’t attempt, or even consider, negotiating their starting salary, and when they do, they ask for much less than men. Women are equipped with the necessary interpersonal skills to make great negotiators but tend to neglect negotiating for themselves
90% of females don’t attempt, or even consider, negotiating their starting salary
due to a lack of confidence in their own abilities and self-worth. Fear of negative backlash can also make women more apprehensive to ask for more.
Negotiation training can be a critical tool in combating this. Individual empowerment can be fostered and enhanced through learning the craft of negotiation, offering females the confidence to negotiate regularly on their daily business and personal decisions. It’s not about making women into men, more about using their strengths to negotiate what they deserve.
It’s a simple ethos; negotiation is trading, it’s not one-sided, and being prepared gives confidence and demonstrates strength. Communication is also key; listening, considering, and adapting – whilst being clear on limits and exit points. The best negotiations occur when the negotiators both make movements from their opening positions, so flexibility is important to get the best deal.
But these skills will only take women so far. Closing the gap will take effort and measures from governments, employers and unions to break down the systemic barriers women face. The current rate of change is too slow, but with the UK’S first female Chancellor of the Exchequer fronting new progressive policies, females across the UK will be sitting tight to see if these become reality.
With the right external support and training in place, women should feel empowered to negotiate their own worth.
Florence Rolland is international negotiation consultant and Managing Director of Negotiate Ltd