It makes my blood boil when I hear of instances of discrimination in the workplace. It’s just not on, is it. Yet last night I heard another story of yet another clever, smart woman who has been discriminated against just because she happens to be a mother.
It’s wrong and YET ….. and yet it still happens.
I was shocked to read this statistic today in a report published by Easy Offices on workplace discrimination …
“While women as a whole are subject to a 7% gender pay gap, research has revealed that this climbs to 21% with the addition of just one child. The survey supported this finding, with almost 4 in 10 respondents feeling that they may have been discriminated against at work for having a baby. What’s more, as a result of the difficulties mothers face in returning to work, around half of all respondents felt having a baby negatively affected their career, and a similar proportion backed this up by estimating that they’d missed out on an average of two promotions during time away from work due to having children.”
I say ‘shocked’ but actually I am angered more than shocked. From the conversations I often have with women, sadly I recognise that the gender pay gap increases when you become a mother. For many reasons. It’s not just unconscious bias. Or part-time working. Or not knowing how to ask for a pay rise. Or not negotiating a bigger salary when you join.
I went to an Inspired Leaders Network Event last week run by Rene Carayol. He shared some jaw dropping statistics. The highest paid male footballer (Ronaldo, who else) earns $88M per year. The highest paid female footballer (Alex Morgan) is estimated to earn $2.8M per year.
I’m not sure what makes me gasp more – the incredible $88M per year or the $85.2M gap. That is SOME pay gap.
Like I say, it really makes my blood boil and why I’m so passionate about what I do to support women in the workplace to get what they truly deserve.
p.s. if you are angry, upset or frustrated or just want some help and a push to get you in the right direction, I’m running my Career Confidence workshop again on Tuesday 10 October to help women like you who want to go back to work after a career break, or who are looking for promotion, making a sideways move or want to get head hunted. Ping me a message to find out more.
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