On Equal Pay Day – April 2 – LeanIn.org, the organization started by Sheryl Sandberg, reminded people that women had to work all of 2018 and until this day in 2019 to catch up with what men earned in 2018 alone. According to Lean In, “No matter our job, how much education or experience we have, or the number of hours we work, women are still paid less than men—on average, 20% less, and for Black women, Native American women, and Latinas, the pay gaps are even wider.”
An item in Lean In’s newsletter offers advice to women about how to negotiate for an increase in pay. The basics include: ask for a raise, specify an amount, prepare, make your best pitch, and solicit support of your manager or supervisor. According to Lean In, women or men asking for a raise are likely to “make their case,” if they have “demonstrated that they are a high performer, taken on a greater workload, and taken on the responsibilities of the next level.”
In addition to helping individuals negotiate, Lean In also offers recommendations as to steps companies can take to close the gender pay gap.