The Gender Gap

March 2006 Archive

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March 20, 2006 [Judith Cushman]

The issue of salary inequality between men and women in communications is not new news. What is so disturbing is that it is the same news that I have been reading for 20+ years. The other concerning point is how few top corporate or organizational positions are held by women (in the PR Week Survey, for example, less than one third of the top posts were held by women.) That is another stubborn statistic.

So, exhorting women to ask for more money and be firm about the “ask” is clearly not going to be the solution. We have been asking for more money year in and year out. Perhaps we can do it better and with more confidence, which is good advice, but who will follow that advice that hasn’t already asked rather assertively before? And, you can’t get blood out of a stone. Many women (particularly) find opportunities in the non-profit world and those beginning to mid-level salaries are significantly lower than for-profit organizations.

Also, there are the “trade-off” factors that contribute to inequality. Younger professional women, who are part of a family with young children, will put other considerations ahead of being paid top dollar. Flexibility, working from home and time off during the work day all score above money with this group. As this impacts wives, what is happening with husbands? Well, for the most part, they are moving right along in their careers with no slowdown and accelerating their rate of success and achievement.

As a search consultant and recruiter, I do hear from women who will say, “I was earning ‘X’ “and they don’t stop there. “I can be flexible for the right environment and job,” they add. That statement, without a doubt suggests that the candidate will accept a lower figure than posted and immediately reduces the opportunity to make financial strides. This is endemic, a bad practice and should stop.

We are dealing with far deeper issues and no easy solutions to the problem of inequality between men and women in pay and responsibility. I do see encouraging signs as strong women take over as heads of agencies and at younger ages achieve top corporate positions. If we are to see significant advances, agencies must take on a leading role in paying what the job is worth. Considering how competitive the hiring landscape is, that would not be too tall an order today.

I’d like to develop more of a network among women who want to share information about jobs, salaries and excellent treatment by potential employers. If we make it easier to find out what a job should pay, we will have more confidence to ask for what we are worth.

I invite comments on my blog and will continue to develop a network to discuss this topic in greater depth. www.jc-a.com/blog/jcablog.htm.

Also, I will be canvassing senior women in communications to share their successes so we may learn how and be encouraged to succeed throughout our careers.

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March 20, 2006 [Jeri Cartwright and Judith Cushman]

This article appeared in the Barks & Bites Section of  The Bulldog Reporter's Daily Dog March 13th.

A Woman’s Perspective on PR’s Gender Gap: Eleven Ways for

Women to Rise in the Ranks

Women’s History Month continues to focus attention on PR’s income disparity. Here’s one PR vet’s take on the gender gap—and how to set things right.

Op-Ed by Jeri Cartwright, Cartwright Communications

As noted here last week, PR salaries are up according to PRWeek’s recent Korn/Ferry Salary Survey. The bad news: Women, though dominant in this profession, still lag behind in compensation. At a time when the PR field is infused with new money and embraced by top management, we need to take urgent action.

The details: According to the 1,401 PR professionals surveyed, men make an average salary of $123,310, compared to women at $80,940. More frightening: The fresh faces—those with less than five years of experience—show differences, too. Specifically, median male wages = $65,620. Median female earnings = $45,280.

We dominate the field. We’re really good at it. So what has gone wrong? More important: What can we do about it?

The answer: Ask for the money. The best guarantee that this disparity will change lies in each woman’s willingness to stand firm in salary negotiations. I’m not suggesting that you storm into management offices making demands. I am encouraging you to realize your worth.

However, you can’t ask for the money until you believe that you are worth the money. Management easily sniffs out insecurity during pay negotiations. In my own working life, at my first true professional job, my soon-to-be boss abruptly asked what kind of pay I wanted. I was stunned. I didn’t really have a firm number. I had a range. Ranges are dangerous. Find that firm number, even if it flies in the face of salary surveys. Make it yours.

Once I started using a firm number with true courage, it worked. I got the money, but only when I believed. When you and your future or current boss face off in a discussion of worth, the slightest blink, the smallest of twitches will scream insecurity. And if you bill by the hour, examine your rates. Have you been afraid to ask for what you are worth? Do you back off and try to please?

I envy the built-in confidence many men radiate, deserved or not. Who or what shortchanged women in the psychologically confident department along the way? Is it hormones? Upbringing? The current social environment? The answer: It doesn’t matter!

As the industry becomes more respected, women must insist on and aggressively claim a financial stake—or prepare to lose ground that might not be re-won for years.

Breaking through to senior management often happens when you already roost in the company of the highly paid. You’ve seen it. When someone applies for a job and indicates past salary history, the higher the price, the more respect they gain in the interview. They may not get the job (budget considerations), but they will get a job one day—and their tenacity will have raised the bar for all future employment opportunities.

Whatever you must do to internalize this courage, do it now. Sounds good in theory, right? To help you put this to practice, here are eleven ideas I’ve used for cultivating dollar-demanding strength:

1. Live more simply. High mortgages and debt make you a weak negotiator.

2. Do you work in an environment that is not family friendly? Don’t talk about your kids, even when encouraged. Superiors will worry that you won’t be up to the long days, or that you may abandon deadline projects when family issues come up. America is full of single co-workers who quietly resent the extra work they must do to cover for women who regularly take time off for their children. This may sound cruel, but it is the truth. If women rise in the ranks, we will have the power to implement new business models to solve this family/work imbalance.

3. A labor pool shortage looms as boomers start to retire. Take advantage of it.

4. In a company where you honestly feel you’ll never make the money you need, aggressively look for another. “Catching up significantly means moving to new organizations when the market will pay a premium for talent,” insists Judith Cushman, president of Judith Cushman & Associates. She has a blog that is currently tracking job departures, not openings. Pay a visit: www.jc-a.com/Blog/JCABlog.htm

5. A job well done is never enough. Always anticipate the future and share your ideas with management in the form of proposals. If your boss is paranoid and doesn’t appreciate this, see #3, and find a place where entrepreneurial ideas are rewarded.

6. Learn and understand the language of your management. Speak it regularly, and management will come to trust and value your ideas. If they don’t—see #3.

7. Take one day. Treat yourself to an upscale restaurant for a quiet solo lunch. Watch the suits talk. Who looks confident? Who looks frightened or ineffective? Which one are you when in the company of management?

8. Retreat to nature with pen and paper. Spend the time itemizing the experience and wisdom you should know you already have. Practice “sound bites” out loud to summarize who and what you are. When people used to ask me what I did for a living, I drew a blank. PR is hard to explain. I now say: “I’m a story broker. I find good stories and tip off the right reporter.” When asked about my company, I surgically go to our most unique point: “We are all former journalists.”

9. Adopt an intern or be a career mentor to someone. Don’t assign them the busy work. Make them a part of your executive life. Let them see what you do. As you teach them, you will teach yourself about yourself.

10. Dress like those already in upper management. Until you do, they will never see you as their equal. When I landed my first job as a television news producer, I dressed for it. On my first day, I walked into the newsroom and everyone stared. My new boss said, “We’re pretty casual around here. Don’t worry about dressing up.” The room was full of jeans and T-shirts. But he was dressed up. As an anchorman and managing editor, he had to be. So I did, too. Within six months, I was on the air.

11. Seek the observations of a stranger. Olympic athletes have coaches, why not you? Hire one. She (or he) will root out your internal enemies. It cools the emotions and teaches objectivity.

Ask for the money. “You must take your chance,” wrote William Shakespeare. And we will all be better off for it.

Jeri Cartwright founded Cartwright Communications (www.cartwrightcommunications.com) in 1996. Her virtual media relations firm utilizes former journalists who help clients communicate with reporters, elected officials, businesses and communities. Her PR-related blog is at http://mediarelations.blogs.com. She can be reached at jeri@cartwrightcom.com.

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March 20, 2006 [Jim Sinkinson and Judith Cushman]

This article appeared in the Barks & Bites Section of  The Bulldog Reporter's Daily Dog March 10th.

Women in PR: When Will They Get a Fair Shake?

Bulldog Reporter publisher argues for resolution to women’s poor pay and an end to the glass ceiling in PR

Op-Ed by Jim Sinkinson, Publisher, Bulldog Reporter

How long will women in PR be condemned to second-class status? A recent PR Week survey showed that women in PR at every stage of their careers earn less than men. It also showed that while women make up some 65 percent of our profession, they make up only about a quarter of senior-level management.

A correspondent on one PR blog actually asked whether the profession should consider raising the compensation of men further in order to attract and keep more men, with the goal of achieving a “healthier” gender ratio. Another correspondent dryly responded that neither Wall Street nor the plumbing professions had ever seen fit to increase the salaries of females to achieve this same hygienic result.

Why do women get shortchanged?

Is the cause of the salary and management-rank disparity simply abject injustice? Are women still laboring under some unenlightened, die-hard vestige of gender bias? Or do women somehow not have the right stuff to thrive—and prosper—in PR?

Certainly, the emergence of female CEOs of leading PR industry firms gives heart. Ostrowski at Porter Novelli, Tamraz at BusinessWire, Silverman at Ogilvy PR, Zorkin and Edstrom at Waggener Edstrom, Kraus at APCO, Binder at RF Binder, to name just a few, have proven that women can make it here.

Does the success of these few hard-chargers prove that discrimination doesn’t occur in PR?  Obviously not. Given the stark and lengthy history of gender bias in this country, the current salary and management-rank statistics would certainly indicate that it persists. 

Get up, stand up

But the presence of women in the upper echelons of our profession does prove that women aren’t suppressed everywhere in the business, and it should deliver a message to women who work in an environment in which discrimination is practiced: Quit that job and go to an organization that respects your talent—these organizations do exist, and increasingly so.

As for the industry’s pay disparity, we can only hope that women laboring under an unfair pay scale will speak up. Lest we forget, discrimination in compensation based on gender is patently against federal law. We can only hope that women caught in a situation in which men are being paid more for the same job will raise a hue and cry. If nothing else, start by asking for (or demanding) equal pay for equal work at your next review. For women who don’t achieve fairness with this gentle, measured approach, we would encourage them to take their employers to court.

No mistake: This is not just a matter of creating equal opportunity for women. It’s a matter of creating a rewarding, high-performing profession for everyone in the field, men and women alike.  An intellectual property business like ours, which depends on hard work and creativity, cannot prosper when women professionals are treated as second-class workers. We certainly cannot attract extraordinarily bright women for long if we don’t pay them well—especially if we pay them unfairly.

Gender discrimination is a blight on any society . . . and certainly on the PR profession, where the majority of our best talent is female. Obviously, wherever such bias exists, it should be relentlessly exposed, condemned and prosecuted. 

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March 7, 2006 [Jeri Cartwright and Judith Cushman]

Jeri Cartwright:

I'm writing an article for the blog, The Daily Dog (InfoCom) which will be posted on March 13th  It is an opinion piece on the PRWeek Salary Survey, and more specifically, I am addressing the current pay difference between men and women, even though women dominate this field.

I would really like to hear what you have to say about it. OK, there is a pay difference.  What are we going to do about it?  One solution: Ask for the money.

[JUDY]

I glanced at the PRWeek survey but did not study it. (I take these surveys with a BIG grain of salt since I am on the firing line and have my own opinions.) Here are my first impressions.

Salary differentials are tricky since at different job levels a variety of factors come into play. For example, there are huge differences in non-profit vs. for profit compensation levels particularly through the mid-levels (a non-profit job could pay $45 while the corporate equivalent could be $65.) Who fills those non-profit jobs? The preponderance is women... that's just one example.

When you reach the VP levels either in corporate jobs or at major agencies, compensation levels out. The range is the range. An outstanding woman or man will receive a competitive offer simply because you can't play games in this competitive environment. Agencies are not in a position to bargain.

If you take a look at my blog, I'm starting to follow the major VP-level departures from these firms (not announcement of the new hires, just yet) and the flurry of jobs that are open. If a firm can find a finalist, they know they have no option but to offer an excellent package with no thought given about gender. In fact, at very senior levels in traditionally male-dominated cultures such as natural resources, manufacturing, etc., I am hearing that clients would like to consider candidates from "diverse" backgrounds and in those companies, a female hire at the VP level counts.

More to come.

[JUDY]

I read the salary survey and I think there needs to be further analysis about the male/female disparity.

With 60% of the jobs filled by women starting off in the field and with numerous opportunities in low paying industries that are traditionally staffed by women, I can understand why women are paid less on the average. Also, women who are in that early bracket, say 10 years experience or less, are also in the prime age for marrying and considering/having children. For every male on paternity leave, I would guess there are about 10 women taking the maximum maternity leave allowed. That certainly impacts the picture.

Now with that as background, issues such as flextime, work at home time become very valuable, even more than salary. Put all that together and it is no surprise that women are earning less than their counterparts. However, this is not entirely the reason; there are still pockets where the salary ranges are equal for men and women, but women qualify for lower compensation (the employer’s perspective) in the range based on their prior earnings history.

 As we climb into the middle ranks, if women have stayed in just one or two organizations after paying their dues in non-profits at depressed compensation, THEY WILL CONTINUE to earn lower salaries.  Catching up significantly means moving to new organizations when the market will pay a premium for talent. That opportunity exists now as the market heats up and agencies and/or corporations do not want to train staff. Organizations feel pressed to find solutions: "If we can hire her (and she is ready to do the job,) let's make it happen and put her to work. Let’s get on with the growth and increasing demands of our organizations and/or clients." (See my blog for hiring trends and how to put offers together.) www.jc-a.com/blog/jcablog.htm

Another point, it is harder for many women to negotiate salaries and they will do anything not to confront that issue head on. They will ask advice, talk to friends, do research but not go "toe to toe" with a boss until they have a competing offer. This needs to change. We should probably run seminars on how to approach a negotiation when your goal is to make a significant increase FROM YOUR CURRENT EMPLOYER as well as in a new organization.

How do women equalize the situation, when the situation is truly skewed?

Most significantly, I think this is primarily a mid-level challenge as professionals leave behind lower paying jobs that have trained them well, and make a jump into the well-paying world of for profits, corporations and agencies. This is the basis that will allow for mid course correction that, unless solved, can be a problem negotiating for dollars in the senior ranks.

I think it is important that an individual understand her market value and feel very comfortable asking for a range that reflects the level of the position and her qualifications for it.

Here is what I would tell a candidate. Don't ask for top dollar unless you have all the skills and experiences as outlined; otherwise ask for a realistic figure in the range with the clear, understood expectation you will get the top end shortly.

Become very comfortable "objectifying" the request...it is not personal...this is what the position is worth; I am fully qualified and so I am worth that. If needed, write everything down so you can remember it; write it down if that is what is needed at the offer stage. Putting date on paper also defuses the confrontational nature.

One is always professional and never hints that there is any personal insult or frustration in this dialog.

Be very well informed about all the pieces that could go into an offer and ask about all of them. Discuss salary review; guaranteed bonus and anything else that could help put you at a high total compensation level. Approach the negotiation professionally and if needed, summarize the agreements in writing.

Stay current with industry trends in compensation. One of the newer wrinkles relates to stock grants versus option or plain cash guarantees.

Each year be sure your performance exceeds expectations in the written evaluation and that you are eligible for promotion or to receive your bonus. Let your superiors know that you are eager for a promotion.

Once the compensation level is at market levels, the major hurdle is over. Achieving top compensation in our field for a senior position raises a variety of other questions going well beyond the strict compensation issues.

I hope you noticed how male dominated the top category is. The issue of why the senior spots are so male dominated is quite a subject to think about for the future.

Thanks for the response. I do hope we spark some discussion. I really take these surveys with a healthy dose of skepticism. The group surveyed was skewed to begin with. Our industry does not as a whole pay the average salaries noted in the survey of PR Week Subscribers. So, the notion that this is objective, is only true for this universe and folks in smaller markets and non-profits look at these numbers as if they are unreachable. I have given many speeches to groups in those locations and can tell you what is competitive in LA or Chi or NYC is not what is paid in Portland or St. Louis or San Antonio.

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