OPENING CASE Unequal Pay for Equal Work? It seems logical, Men and women with comparable credentials "For women, success and likability comparable experience, and comparable performance ratings performing the same tasks should make comparable pay. are negatively correlated. As a right? But while it may seem logical, in reality, men tend to make more than women even when there are no obvious woman gets more successful and reasons for the discepancy. For instance one recent study powerful, she is less liked.... I found an annual puy gap of 520,000 between comparably qualified professional men and women in the millennial don't know a senior woman in the generition. In 2016, women who were full-time wage and salary workers had medlan usual weekly carnings that were workplace who hasn't been told \&2 percent of those of male full-time wage and salary workess. She's too aggressive." This pattern is not new, In fact, Title Vil of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 broadly outlawed discrimination on the -SHERYI SANDBERG. FACEBOOK COO bssis of gender in any aspect of the employment relationship (which obviously includes pay), and the Equal Pay Act of 1963 specifically stipulates that organizations must pay one thing. men are often more aggressive when they are the same wages to men and women who are doing equal first negotiating for a job. As a result their initial salaries work. (Note, however, that both laws allow unequal pay if may be higher than their female counterparts. For anthe basis for the differences are experience, performance. other, this aggressiveness continues as men tend to ask for of other job-related factorsi) larger and more frequent salary adjustments than do their The question, then, is why, after more than fifty years of women peers. Hence, men may tend to start at a higher legislation outlawing disparate pay and widespread sodal_salary and then see their salaries grow faster than is the awareness of this pattern, do such discrepancies stall exilist case for women. today? For years, experts attributed the problem to two Extending these ideas to a broader context, some things. First, some organizations have continued to practice evidence suggests that people tend to see aggressiveness outright discrimination. Some managers. for instance, either and assertiveness positively in men but negatively in women. intentionally or unconsciously, may tend to reward men These positive or negative feelings can then easily translate more if they are seen as the family "breadwinner" and reward into "ikability" Likability, in turn, can then unconsciously women less if they are seen as providing only "secondary_begin to play a role in other elements of the employment income." Obviously, this practice is illegal (and unethical) and relationship, including promotions, opportunities for careercan be grounds for legal action. enhancing assignments, and so forth None of these explaAnother long-standing explanation is the so-called_nations make it acceptable for a man to eam more than a mommy track phenomenon. The premise here is that even wornan, of course, but they do point to the need for complex if women and men start out the same, many women step and in-depth solutions. away from their careers for periods ranging from a few months to as long as several years in order to hive children. THINK IT OVER Even among families where both parents have careers, it is 1. Suppose you offer a woman a job for $80,000, and still more likely for a woman to make career sacrifices for the she accepts it You then offer a similar job to a man for sake of family than it is for a man. Simplistically, if a woman 580,000 . He demands 585,000 , and you agree to pay him suspends her career for, say, three years to start a family and that amount, Should you now go back and adjust the then resumes her career, she has fallen three years behind woman's salary? Why or why not? her male peers in promotion opportunities and salary 2. Richard Branson's Virgin Hotels Group has a policy increases and may never catch up. that half of all management positions must be filled Recently, however, experts have come to believe that by women. Do you agree or disagree with this kind of several other factors also play a role in the income gap. For policy? Why? 1. Suppose you offer a woman a job for $80,000, and she accepts it. You then offer a similar job to a man for $80,000. He demands $85,000, and you agree to pay him that amount. Should you now go back and adjust the woman's salary? Why or why not? 2. Richard Branson's Virgin Hotels Group has a policy that half of all management positions must be filled by women. Do you agree or disagree with this kind of policy? Why