Egalitarian way doesn't pay

Men with egalitarian attitudes about the role of women in society earn significantly less on average than men who hold more traditional views about women's place in the world, according to a recent study.

It is the first time social scientists have produced evidence that large numbers of men may be victims of gender-related income disparities.

The study raises the provocative possibility that a substantial part of the widely discussed gap in income between men and women who do the same work is really a gap between men with a traditional outlook and everyone else — rather than a gap between men and women per se.

Glaring differences

The differences found in the study were substantial. Men with traditional attitudes about gender roles earned $11,930 (Dh43,816) more a year than men with egalitarian views and $14,404 (Dh52,902) more than women with traditional attitudes.

The comparisons were based on men and women working in the same kinds of jobs with the same levels of education and putting in the same number of hours per week.

While men with a traditional outlook earned the most, women with a traditional outlook earned the least.

The wage gap between working men and women with a traditional attitude was more than 10 times larger than the wage gap between men and women with egalitarian views.

“When we think of the gender wage gap, our focus goes to the women side of things,'' said Beth Livingston, a co-author of the new study.

“This article says a lot of the difference may be in men's salaries.'' Livingston said she was taken aback by the result.

The study, published in the September issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology, is based on information collected by a federal government survey administered every two years to more than 12,000 people over a quarter century.

The US Department of Labour's National Longitudinal Survey of Youth began tracking people in 1979 when they were between 14 and 22 years old. The group is now between 43 and 51 years old.

Since many participants in the survey were children when it started, incomes for both men and women changed over the 25 years that Livingston and co-author Timothy Judge studied.

Averaged over the quarter century, salaries ranged from $34,725 (Dh127,538) for working men with traditional attitudes to $20,321 (Dh74,643) for working women with traditional attitudes.

Working men with egalitarian attitudes made $22,795 (Dh83,730) on average while such working women made $21,373 (Dh78,507).

The study offers an unusual window on gender disparities in income that have been observed for decades.

Critics of the gender-gap theory regularly suggest that the gap between men and women is an artefact of the career choices that men and women make, or the different hours that men and women work — arguing that more men choose higher paying professions such as law and business and more women choose lower-paying professions such as education and social work, and that men tend to work longer hours than women.

The empirical evidence in the study showed that there is a connection between people's attitudes about gender roles and their salaries.

The study was not designed to explain why those disparities come about or how people's attitudes — supposedly a private matter — affect how much money they make.

Possibility and reason

Livingston and Judge said there are two possible explanations: Traditional-minded men may negotiate much harder for better salaries, especially when compared to traditional- minded women.

Alternatively, it could also be that employers discriminate against both women and men who do not subscribe to traditional gender roles.

Increasing numbers of Americans hold egalitarian views about the role of women in the workplace, and the researchers suggested that if gender-role attitudes are indeed at the core of the longstanding wage gap, disparities in income may recede as egalitarian views become more prevalent.

Parents looking at the study might be tempted to inculcate their sons with traditional gender views with an eye to greater financial success but the researchers warned that this would come at their daughters' cost.

“Traditional values,'' Judge said, “do not have to be traditional gender-role values.''

How to go about finding your worth

The road to negotiating salary is filled with ups, downs and doubts. We spoke to several experts about the process.
What Am I Worth?

Finding out what you are worth requires research, self-reflection and networking.

Robin Meyer, associate director of the Office of Career Counselling at Williams College, said salary survey sites on the web can be helpful in determining salaries and also recommended the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) as a good source. Job postings and advertisements also help.

Look into your professional history and ask yourself, “What do I bring to the table?'' Get advice from vocation and job counsellors if you don't know where you're headed, said Cary Silberman, a human resource consultant with the Negotiation Institute.

Meyer suggests documenting your professional progress.

“Keep a kudos file to keep track of items such as positive work evaluations, examples of your best work and awards or recognitions.''

Most important: Network, network, network. Experts agree that the best source of salary information is other people in the same field.

“You are worth different amounts in different markets. ... What's more, you may be worth more to one company than you would be to another,'' said Kate Wendleton, president of the Five O'Clock Club, a career counselling and outplacement organisation.

What Factors Affect My Worth?

Many people believe only skills, experience and education affect salary.

But other factors, such as location, industry and company size can determine your worth, said Joe Kilmartin, managing director of compensation consulting at Salary.com.

He noted that worth sometimes depends on the state of the job market and the personality of the applicant.

“Personality is important because you may have the best background but if your personality does not mesh into an organisation, you may not get what you are worth,'' he said.

How do you determine the typical salary for a position? Check the job announcement for a salary range. If it's not listed, do some research.

“For a unique job, look at job sites specific to your occupation — nurses should go to a job site catering specifically to healthcare workers,'' Kilmartin said.

If you can't find what you are looking for, you may not be searching correctly, he said. “One of the biggest complaints users have with (Salary.com) is when an employee mismatches their job.''

For example, he said, you may be looking at the salary information of a senior accountant. If you have the same title but have been at your company for less than two years, you may not rate the “traditional'' salary of a senior accountant.

And keep talking to others in your field. “You need to find out what you as a real person are worth to real companies,''

Wendleton said. At networking meetings, ask: “What kind of salary could someone like me expect at your company?''

When Is It Best to Bring Up Pay?

Most job seekers are anxious about salary discussions and want to get them over with as soon as possible. But according to Wendleton, “the person who brings up a number first loses the game''.

Talk about the job before you talk salary, she said. “Create a job (offer) that suits both you and the hiring manager.

Make sure it is at an appropriate level for you. If the job is too low-level, don't ask about the money, upgrade the job.''

Start salary negotiations once you have a job offer.

However, if you are in your final round of interviews and the employer still hasn't mentioned salary, Silberman recommends asking how much they are offering, or a salary range for the position.

Meyer adds that you should not be afraid to turn down a job offer. Instead, have your own “walkaway number in mind,'' the minimum you will accept.

Do I Have to Disclose Salary History?

Be careful about disclosing your salary history too soon. Postpone the topic until you have a better idea of what they will offer by politely mentioning that salary won't be a problem and that you should be able to come to an agreement.

If you can't postpone the conversation, approach it strategically, Silberman said.