Why Women Are Less Paid Than Men?

Women are paidless than men. Is the “ask gap” the reason why?

- Deborah Cicure

We’ve all heard about the gender pay gap. After all, the discrimination and inequalities that lead to women getting paid less than their male counterparts for doing exactly the same job pervade all areas of the workplace.

From corporate offices to the highest echelons of Hollywood where even influential actresses such as Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence have spoken out, women are asking one simple question: why aren’t we paid the same as men?

It seems like every time we read the news, there’s another woeful article or statistic about the existing pay gaps. For example, according to the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap report, women will be paid less than men for the next 117 years – meaning salaries won’t be equalised until the year 2133.

In Singapore, statistics have shown that only 15 percent of chief executives are women, and that women are earning at least 10 percent less than men despite having the same qualifications, working hours and job responsibilities.

But rather than this problem being solely the fault of male bosses and sexist institutions, a new theory suggests that this salary inequality is something we can control. The “gender ask gap” poses the difficult question: are women not as good as men when it comes to negotiating for more money?

According to research by the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), there may be some truth in the theory, with 26 percent of men in the finance sector asking for a pay rise in the last year compared to 18 percent of women, with the men seeking double the increase that women were after.

But are men more bullish about asking for salary increases? Are they really more positive about their financial value than women, who are reportedly scared of seeming “bossy” or “argumentative” when it comes to stating their financial worth?