How to Know your Worth & Stand up for yourself at Work | Equal Pay Day 2021

Does this sound like you?
- I stand up for myself in my career
- I know my worth in the job market
- I know how to navigate and negotiate opportunities with an employer

Did you know the pay gap is exponentially worse once you become a mother?

Here are some highlights from Nadine's interview with the founder of @thisismomsatwork Allison Venditti on Gender Equality in the Workplace. Click here for the full interview.

Myth of the Resume Gap

The 'resume gap' hits mothers the most, who may not have a choice but to take on the child care responsibility. 

Nadine: "I have friends who find it cheaper to stay home than it is to put 2-3 kids in daycare than to go to work."

Allison: If you're in a partnership, that should be a combined salary, where together, you look at if it's possible to put your kids through daycare. 

Woman look at their salary as the definitive line for where child care expenses come from. If you're in a partnership, that is a combined salary. Society tells us women's worth is tied to their children. It's not fair for this expense to be weighed on the mother. 

If you find yourself saying "All i did was care for my kids", know most people have at least 3 gaps in their resume. It's becoming more of a norm for individuals to do contract work, freelancing, be self-employed.

Caregiving is normal, but there is a stigma around motherhood. You shouldn't feel bad because you've taken a leave of absence to care for your children.

Watch the rest of their conversation on Resume Gap Starting at 5:00 here 

Pay Transparency vs Pay Equity

First, what's the difference? Pay equity is legislation designed to ensure woman are paid the same as men. Pay transparency is about being open about how much money people are paid for the work they do. 

Pay transparency works to level the playing field. Wherever pay equity laws are legislated, employers are not allowed to ask employees how much they are paid. 

A response to this can be "This is not relevant to the current discussion."

Another boundary to put up with recruiters if asked about your current salary range is to ask them what they're willing to offer so you can see if THEY can afford YOU. 

Watch the rest of their conversation on Pay Equity starting at 13:00 here 

Negotiating your Salary

Allison says hiring managers when hiring for senior roles, it's expected for there to be negotiations. You negotiating your salary is not a bad thing, it's a good thing. Trust her, the hiring manager will not be offended and it is not their money! 

Remember, woman are statistically underpaid, so factor this into your negotiation. Start your negotiation should be 15% more than your current salary. 

For more on this, read why Allison says You Are Doing Salary Negotiation Wrong.

Watch the rest of their conversation on Negotiation starting at 18:00 here.

Guest Speaker Allison Venditti is an HR professional, career coach, mother of three and advocate for pay transparency and working mothers. She is the founder of both Careerlove.ca and Moms At Work, an online community of more than 7,000+ working Canadian women.

Follow Allison on Medium & Instagram. 

Follow @Mayanageneviere on Instagram.

 Share your thoughts in a comment on this recent IGTV Live.