This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at DePaul chapter.
Women in business are like a different species. They’re more hardworking than you’d imagine and that’s because they are constantly working to prove themselves. The gender wage gap (women make 77 cents to the dollar a man makes for the same job) is no secret to women across the United States. This doesn’t take into account the effect of intersectionality, such as if a woman is a person of color or a member of the LGBTQ community. Certain aspects of a woman’s social identities can impact her even more negatively, so sexism may not be the only thing she is facing when trying to further herself as a professional.
Meet Liz, a bright and aspiring professional in the business field. Liz successfully managed to negotiate her salary and benefits before accepting a full
time offer at a very prestigious company. She will be working as an investment analyst at a top money manager firm before going to law school to become a corporate attorney. Liz has known that she wanted to be a lawyer since she was 7. Even though only 4% of American Bar certified lawyers are Latino/a, Liz is constantly motivating herself and others around her to achieve barrier-breaking success.
Lizbeth Avilés
Year: Senior
Major: Business Economics
Minor: Geography
Hometown: Joliet
Michaela Hrbacek, Her Campus DePaul: What made you decide to negotiate [your starting salary]?
Liz Avilés: I’ve found a lot of articles talking about how women don’t do it often enough. So I talked to my friend Georgia who had some amazing and inspirational tips. And I felt like I was worth that salary,of course.
MH: What was the actual exchange? How did it go down?
LA: The recruiter was nice – she called with the initial offer. A week later, I called back with a counter offer and told her the reasons I believed I deserved better. A week after that, she called back and said she talked it over with other executives and there was a mutual agreement. Overall, it was a three-week process.
HC: What was the response of the company?
LA: She seemed really open [about it]. I gave her a figure, told her my reasons, and negotiated them paying my commuter fees.
HC: How did you feel afterward?
LA: I was really happy I chose to do it – they probably would have lowballed me if I hadn’t. The commuter fees thing was a big thing for me because that’s usually something offered to people who have been there long term. I’m really glad it went well because I hope it encourages people, and especially women, to do the same.
Advice:
Do your research – about the company, the industry, yourself, etc.
Have reasons – know why you deserve it
Go in focused – don’t let them sway you easily
Fight for yourself – this shows the recruiter you will fight for their company
Jennifer Lawrence had a brilliant response to the gender wage gap in her piece in Lenny Letter “Why Do I Make Less Than My Male Co-stars?”
“I’m over trying to find the “adorable” way to state my opinion and still be likable! F*-k that. I don’t think I’ve ever worked for a man in charge who spent time contemplating what angle he should use to have his voice heard. It’s just heard. Jeremy Renner, Christian Bale, and Bradley Cooper all fought and succeeded in negotiating powerful deals for themselves. If anything, I’m sure they were commended for being fierce and tactical, while I was busy worrying about coming across as a brat and not getting my fair share. Again, this might have NOTHING to do with my vagina, but I wasn’t completely wrong when another leaked Sony email revealed a producer referring to a fellow lead actress in a negotiation as a “spoiled brat.” For some reason, I just can’t picture someone saying that about a man.”
While the lower wage may not initially be because of gender, women are less likely to speak up. However, Her Campus exists to make sure that women have the courage and space to share their voice. And so we hope that bad bitches like Liz will encourage you to get out there, make a name for yourself, and negotiate the pay and benefits you deserve!