New Report Shows Women Aren’t Comfortable Asking for Salary Increases, Employers Most Likely Won’t Honor Their Request

The gender pay gap is not equal until it’s nonexistent.

Nowadays, women are more likely to come into positions with equal or higher credentials than men. However, a fair distribution of pay may still be questionable. In a 2023 survey conducted by Pew Research Center, data showed more women avoided the conversation of a pay raise with their employer than their male counterparts.

According to the report, 42% of women were more likely than 33% of men to say they were uncomfortable asking for higher pay. Researchers found that 38% of women who requested an increase in their salaries were only given the employer’s initial offer, compared to 31% of men who asked for higher pay.

“Even though women have increased their presence in higher-paying jobs traditionally dominated by men, such as professional and managerial positions, women as a whole continue to be overrepresented in lower-paying occupations relative to their share of the workforce,” Pew research associate Carolina Aragão wrote. “This may contribute to gender differences in pay. Other factors that are difficult to measure, including gender discrimination, may also contribute to the ongoing wage discrepancy.”

A 2023 report from Payscale showed there is no equal pay for equal work when women’s salaries are compared to their male counterparts. “In 2023, for every $1 that men make, women earn $0.83 when data are uncontrolled. This is one cent nearer to closing the gender pay gap compared to last year,” researchers wrote.

In 2022, BLACK ENTERPRISE reported on a study from Payscale that revealed Black women are being paid the least compared to other groups, even as the gender pay gap is closing. “When data are controlled for compensable factors, Black women have the widest gender pay gap ($0.98),” the study showed in comparison to the rate of $1.03 recorded for Asian women.

Researchers added that pay gaps widen for Black women as they advance in their careers. “All women of color except for Black women start out with controlled pay equity relative to white men at the individual contributor level, but as they progress up the corporate ladder, the gender pay gap widens,” researchers wrote.