Women more likely to be rejected when they ask for more pay

By Jeff Green

Most men and women still don’t ask for more money than they’re offered in a job interview. But if they do, women are more likely to get turned down.

About 58 per cent of men, and 61 per cent of women said they didn’t ask for higher pay when they were last hired, according to a survey of more than 5,500 US workers conducted by Pew Research Center in early February. Of those who asked for more money, 28 per cent said their negotiations were successful, 38 per cent said they were offered less than they wanted but more than the initial offer, and 35 per cent said they were only given what was first presented, Pew found. Women were more likely than men — 38 per cent to 31 per cent — to say they were only given the initial offer.

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Pay transparency and the gender pay gap have come into sharper focus in the US as several states, including California, New York, and Washington, now require employers to list a salary range with all job postings. More cities and states, such as Illinois and Washington DC, are also weighing adding such requirements.

Even without legislation, there’s a trend for more transparency; almost half of US job listings now include salary information, recent surveys determined. Despite the attention, women take home about 83 cents for every $1 a man earns, a gap that widens for women of color.

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Men were more likely than women to say they were satisfied with the pay they were offered — 42 per cent to 36 per cent — while women were more likely — 42 per cent vs. 33 per cent — to say they didn’t feel comfortable asking for more pay than offered, Pew found. The youngest workers were least comfortable asking for higher compensation than offered, according to the research.