Equal Pay

Fighting for Equal Pay: Q&A with Ladies Get Paid

Equal pay. Another uphill battle we face as women in the US. Some countries and some companies (props to you Iceland and Starbucks!!) have been successful in closing the gender pay gap, and these steps of progress give us hope. The kind of hope that will continue driving us to fight for something that we know is achievable and right.

Even though Equal Pay Day is past, we want to continually raise the issue and advance the conversation toward equality. We recently sat down with Ladies Get Paid’s Head of Hustle + Digital Media Strategist, Sage Quiamno to discuss how Ladies Get Paid (LGP) is working to close the gender wage and leadership gap by training women how to advance their careers. Read our Q&A below for actionable steps women and advocates can take right now to make a difference.

This week, Ladies Get Paid launched an iFund Women campaign to offset the very expensive litigation costs of being sued … for gender discrimination. In an incredibly messed up form of irony, the lawsuit came from a group that routinely targets organizations like theirs who are working to advance the fight for equality. LGP’s campaign will help defray their legal costs, and also provide more trainings and events for women to share advice, resources, and more.

Read more about Sage and her work with LGP below.

Give us the rundown of what Ladies Get Paid and different ways people can get involved:

Ladies Get Paid is a woman-founded career development startup that gives women the tools and resources to level up in their careers. Members receive a weekly newsletter with tips on how to advocate for yourself at work, updates on upcoming events, classes and webinars, and access to a private slack channel where they can communication with supportive women around the world to discuss their careers. It’s easy to get involved. Simply through volunteering on the Ladies Get Paid Seattle team, members can grow their r networks by working on monthly events. And we’re always looking for partners or sponsors for our monthly events. 

How can people benefit from Ladies Get Paid?

  • Access & Opportunity: Women who are Ladies Get Paid members have access to a global network of women who are salary negotiation experts, career coaches, and self-care gurus. Their goal is to support women to be successful in their careers.
  • Education & Empowerment: Ladies Get Paid provides monthly classes, workshops, and webinars for women to continue to build skills in negotiation, management, etc., and to empower them get paid what they deserve.
  • Community & Connection: Ladies Get Paid is currently active in 18 cities across the country with dedicated committees that produce monthly meet ups, panel discussions, and town hall events for women in their cities to attend and build community.

 Without giving away all the good stuff, what does the process look like for getting help from a Certified Negotiation Instructor?

Our Ladies Get Paid Salary Negotiation instructors are engaging storytellers and vetted facilitators with expert knowledge and advice surrounding salary negotiation.The environment for the Ladies Get Paid Salary Negotiation is a safe space for women from all ages, backgrounds and industries to discuss salary stories whether successes or not. It is an incredible opportunity to strategize and collaborate with other women in a very interactive environment and women leave with actionable advice on how to negotiate.

What are your fave top three takeaways from the Get Money Get Paid conference?

  • Asking for more money and promotions
  • Invest in your financial future
  • Be a champion for equality

What do you think is the number one obstacle women face when asking for money (whether that be equal pay, funding, etc.) in their career? What’s a solution?

Women fear losing their jobs or being seen unfavorably by their boss. It’s the double bind. The double bind is the negative perception and penalization of women who appear to act outside of the social norm of how we expect them to be. For centuries, women have been socialized not to speak up or ask for what they want. But on the flipside, we push them to be stronger, to be more vocal, and be assertive. The solution is to understand that the fear is irrational, and know that if you build a strong case for yourself and you’re prepared, you have the right to ask for a promotion or raise. Speak communally, adopt positive body language, express appreciation and empathy, address shared interests, and emphasize larger goals.

How can we support other women in negotiating and achieving equal pay? How can male advocates?

Women and men can support equal pay by holding each other accountable and being transparent about their salaries. If there is a clear disparity hold your company accountable by bringing the issue up. We need more whistleblowers in companies to bring the issue of equal pay to the forefront of CEOs, board members, etc.

In your perspective, what actionable steps can women and advocates take right now to close the wage gap?

  • Ask for a raise or promotion for yourself
  • Give a raise or promotion to another woman
  • Mentor a young woman early in her career

Any words of wisdom or encouragement to inspire us to continue relentlessly fighting for equal pay?

I’ve been teaching a monthly salary negotiation class and have seen the change it has created within women who come to my classes. Women share, support and strategize together on how we could achieve raises and promotions for ourselves in our own careers. It is absolutely magical because we have women from all age ranges, industries, and levels all talking about MONEY. We often don’t have these important conversations. The more we talk about money, the more we feel comfortable having these discussions. We need to celebrate when a woman successfully gets a raise or promotion and spread that message that we CAN DO it and it is not out of reach! So continue to ASK and GET PAID WHAT YOU DESERVE! Ladies Get Paid has your back!

We’ll keep the conversation going with Ellevate Network on June 12th at The Riveter Capitol Hill.  Save the date!  

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