Girl, get used to talking about money

I heard someone say that one of the reasons the ‘pay gap’ still exists between men and women active in the economy, is that women don’t like to talk about money.

Is this real?

It seems so.

It is for the same reason that women are less likely to even negotiate a better salary.

The gender pay gap or gender wage gap can be defined as the average difference between the remuneration for men and women who are working.

Women are paid less than men, generally.

Even when they do the same job.

There are two distinct numbers regarding the pay gap: unadjusted versus adjusted pay gap.

The latter takes into account differences in hours worked, occupations chosen, education and job experience.

For example, if someone decides to take time off (eg maternity leave) will likely not earn as much as someone who does not take time off from work.

The reasons for lower pay include both individual choice and other innate and external factors.

An example of an external factor is discrimination, which is stated in most cases.

But back to women being taken for a ride because they do not like to talk about money.

I see how it is true.

In the short time I have been working, mostly surrounded by women, the desire to look at another person’s pay slip seems to be taboo.

I generally do not mind.

It won’t change anything for me.

But people hold on to these things for dear life.

How then will we know if the scales are balanced or not?

Why wouldn’t our employers use this to their advantage?

Men, on the other hand, seem almost proud to announce how much they make.

Especially when it is more than what the other people at the table make.

In our attempts to create a better, more secure future for ourselves, we need to rid ourselves of burdens slowing us down.

And this is one of them.

We can’t fight this injustice and hinder our own progress at the same time.

This is one part of the journey we can help.

How much sense does it make for us to hide the same information we are fighting against?

We can get so many answers if we put everything on the table without fear.

Before we move on to the heavier stuff: girl, get used to talking about money …

All of it.