Intent versus action. This is a tough one when it comes to facing our own biases and deciding to act on our ideas.
The election debates this year brought some subject matter out of the shadows related to this complicated issue. One point pushed time and again was the issue of the wage gap between men and women. Some people shot back, “Well just switch from feminist dance theory to electrical engineering and stop whining!” Not helpful. When all other factors are equalized (education, experience, field, profit vs. non-profit, etc), men are consistently being paid higher wages for the exactly the same job. No matter the field. The degree of gap differs around the country, but on average there is a difference of 20% in salary. So how does this relate to art?
NPR recently aired a story summarizing the research of Danielle Lindemann, Carly Rush, and Steven Tepper at Lehigh University. They analyzed wage disparities in the arts and they found that women were making about $13,000 less than their male counterparts. In the arts. I was shocked. Typically, this group of people is more liberal. They are more likely to support gender equality and social activism. I was completely surprised that even in this field, there is a pay gap.
In good news, the arts field doesn’t have the usual “motherhood penalty.” This is when women experience disadvantages in career advancement (as well as benefits, pay, and perceived competence) due to taking time off for childbirth or child care. However, there exists a “fatherhood premium”- where men get a pay increase for getting married or having kids. It looks like women aren’t directly penalized, but men still get the bump up in salary.
Why? Why is this so prevalent in even the most liberal of fields? Lindemann suggests the “rigid cultural expectations of men as breadwinners remain entrenched even among artists.” There are many theories for this bias. We could talk all day about how things should be different.
Maybe the more important questions is,
“What are we going to do about it?”
Well here are my 81 cents on how to start tackling the subject…
–Be proactive in supporting women. Here is the intent vs action. Be willing to recognize the value in her work and be willing to pay for it. Will this be more expensive for you as a boss, or as a customer? Maybe. Is it worthwhile to stop benefiting from someone’s disadvantage? Definitely. Each time you pay the real value for someone’s work or for a piece of art, you are helping to bring about change and improve people’s lives.
–Practice the art of negotiation. According to a study by Linda Babcock, expert negotiator, only about 7% of women attempted to negotiate a job offer, while 57% of men did. Those who negotiate often receive higher salaries which compound in raises and adjustments over the years. In the end of a career, what started as a 7% difference could become 8 years longer of working to catch up! (https://www.themuse.com/advice/why-women-must-ask-the-right-way-negotiation-advice-from-stanfords-margaret-a-neale) We are trained to see women who stand up for themselves as challenging, bossy, a b%tch. Women often don’t negotiate for a higher salary, a raise, or a better contract because they fear being penalized for speaking up. In order to counteract this we need to practice negotiating. We need to teach our daughters, sisters, friends, and other women in our lives to speak up for themselves in the workplace. We need to ask for the change we want to see.
–Teach the next generation to be better. From an early age, we can counteract the constant gender role messages. We can let our children know that there are no “male jobs” and “female jobs.” There is work to be done and people who can and want to do it. We don’t need to eliminate half the qualified workforce from contributing based on whether they sit or stand to pee. There are no “girl colors” and “boy colors.” Our children don’t want to go through life with only half the rainbow. And women are tired of hearing that the worst insult you can level at someone is to call them a girl (or girl parts). So… let’s teach our children to have respect for each other, to encourage each other, and to stand up for each other. And we’ll teach ourselves to lead by example.
For my part, I’ll work harder to bring about change. I will take advantage of all the “teaching moments” with my kids to reinforce ideas of equality and tolerance. I will celebrate the successes of strong women in my life and help them create more chances for achievement. I will be my own advocate as I work to make my own business a success. Think about it. Little things bring little change. Lots of little things…
