The Gender Pay Gap

This is very interesting.  Thank you for contributing.



I shall quote you as saying this on our Facebook page as I think that a lot of people would benefit from reading this.

Some of us actually choose to take less pay for more job satisfaction.  I, for example, avoided being promoted to a higher paid managerial job because I loved being a design engineer.  Then I changed career to become the lowest paid professional of all - a teacher.  But despite my current career being the hardest work I have ever done, with extensive hours of unpaid overtime required to keep up with marking and subject knowlege, it is also the most satisfying, and, in my opinion, my most valuable contribution to engineering society.

When asking for a pay rise or promotion, don't forget your negotiation skills. Be prepared to explain the advantage they'll gain (in their eyes) by keepng you at a higher salary and/or with greater authority*. The ultimate is to be prepared to walk away if you don't achieve your goal, ie have another job lined up. This is where women in our society tend to be at a disadvantage... how many husbands would change jobs and move to support their wife's career, compared with the other way around?



* greater responsibility without commensurate increase in authority is a poison chalice.



Joan