April 22. That’s how much longer a woman would have to work to earn the same wage as a man in one year, if they both began working on Jan. 1 the year before. April 22 is known as Equal Pay Day, according to the American Association of University Women (AAUW), and local colleges are spreading the word.
“I have four daughters, four granddaughters, and I’m one of three daughters,” said Annie Houle, the National Director of Women Are Getting Even (WAGE). “I feel like the wage issue is critical to women.”
This spring, Houle is traveling throughout the country conducting workshops to help women negotiate higher salaries in the workplace. According to Houle, women still earn just 77 cents to every dollar men earn in similar jobs with similar skill sets. The workshops are geared toward college juniors and seniors and are part of the WAGE Project’s objective to end the gender wage gap within the next decade.
This past week she was at Marist College lecturing to students from the college, as well as students from the Culinary Institute of America, Mount Saint Mary College and Vassar College.
“Women have come such a long way,” said Marist senior Meghan Donnelly. “I’d like to learn more about how to get the salary I want when I get a job.” Donnelly has never applied for a job, and said she has no idea how to negotiate a salary, but she came to the workshop looking for skills to take with her when she goes to New York City after school.
Local awareness
With Houle was Irene Keyes, the Poughkeepsie Branch president of the AAUW. The local branch was founded in 1925, and since then the organization has been active in the areas of education, international understanding, community needs, arts and the status of women. Keyes joined the AAUW in 1990, and under her leadership the organization has raised awareness of the pay equities that still exist among men and women.
“Without the cooperation of these four schools, this workshop wouldn’t be here today,” said Keyes. “We’re thrilled to be able to bring this new workshop to Poughkeepsie.”
Together the women presented a two-hour hands-on $tart $mart workshop aimed toward educating young women about the strategies of negotiation.
Participants were taught to research their prospective position by first documenting their own experience, and then identifying patterns of sexual discrimination. The next step? Asking for money. “Oftentimes, men ask for money because they think they’re worth it,” said Houle, “and women accept money because they’re grateful.”
The key to effectively negotiating a wage is research, she said. To do this, Houle introduced the “Getting Even Calculator,” a device used to determine the fiscal difference between a woman and a man who are doing to same work. Lastly, Houle offered tips for what to do when your boss won’t act.
“This isn’t entirely about money,” said Houle, who will continue conducting workshops in the Northeast this week. “Salary negotiation is a new skill, and you have to have it to be successful.”