Women make up 48% of Connecticut’s labor force, and yet in 2011, Connecticut full-time working women earned just 78% of what their male counterparts earned, according to a research brief on pay equity by the Connecticut General Assembly Permanent Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW).
Together with the National Association of Women MBAs (formerly MBA Women International), the UConn School of Business recently presented “The Value of a Day’s Work,” a panel discussion on pay equity, knowing your worth at work, and negotiating benefits and salary. Moderated by Professor Lucy Gilson, faculty advisor to the UConn Women’s MBA Association and faculty director of the Geno Auriemma UConn Leadership Conference, panelists included Melissa Cummings ’98 MBA, vice president, strategic product solutions, Aetna Inc.; Helen Frye, vice president, human resources/business support services, Prudential Retirement; Christine Palm, communications director, Permanent Commission on the Status of Women; and Gary Powell, professor, UConn School of Business.
Eighty-five alumni, graduate students and faculty gathered at the Graduate Business Learning Center in Hartford for the informative event. Dean Elliott kicked off the evening with an introduction to the importance of addressing gender inequities and citing the value of books that have recently brought attention to the topic such as Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg and Wonder Women by Debora Spar. Lucy Gilson followed with an introduction to the panelists’ areas of expertise, bringing specific attention to the pay disparities between men and women in the workplace.
A lively panel discussion ensued, covering male-intensive versus female-intensive occupations, the pros and cons of corporate transparency, negotiation tips, and the importance of asking the right questions and delivering measurable outcomes. An interactive Q&A session brought the discussion to a deeper level as panelists answered questions on how to determine your worth, how to ensure you get fairly compensated, what men can do to be part of the solution, and things to consider in the non-profit world versus large for-profit corporations.
“Half a century after the Equal Pay Act was signed in 1963, women [on average] still only make 77 cents to every dollar that men make for equivalent work. Through events such as this, we hope to bring the conversation on pay equity to the forefront, and emphasize that this is not just an issue that relates to women, but rather it impacts families, and the broader economy in general. Our goal tonight was to help women understand their worth and gain the courage to ask for fair compensation,” said Gilson.
The conversation continued throughout the evening’s networking reception, where guests chatted with the panelists directly in a less formal setting. Key takeaways from the evening included:
- Realize your unconscious bias.
- Ask for what you want, but make a case for it. Show why you deserve what you’re asking for.
- Know what the laws are and if your organization is doing something illegal or not.
- Explore every option possible in your organization before bringing on legal action.
