No matter what you were doing on Equal Pay Day this year, you can still benefit from the inspiring conversations that happened — specifically, the equal pay gap analysis discussion hosted by PayScale that over 150 participants tuned in to. To propel this discussion, we invited a few notable business leaders and gender equity experts to look at this issue from multiple lenses. These experts included Elizabeth Weingarten, Director of New America’s Gender Parity Initiative, Peter Hamilton, CEO of TUNE, and Christy Johnson, CEO of Artemis Connection. The panel was moderated by Lydia Frank, VP of Content at PayScale. Here are some of the best quotes from that day, as well as context for how the quotes came about.
Q: With so much awareness around the issue of gender equity in the workplace, why are we still struggling to solve this issue in 2017? What are the biggest barriers to progress?
In general, people think [gender equity] is a problem, but not in their organization. Men want to be allies, but they’re not setup to be allies. – Elizabeth Weingarten
Q: Where does change need to come from within an organization to see real progress on gender equity?
Managers need a more systematic sense of inclusion. Access to opportunities and mentorship. A lot of managers haven’t been equipped to be managers. It’s critical to setup good habits early on. – Christy Johnson
Q: What are the most effective gender equity strategies you’ve seen put into practice at companies that actually made an impact on key metrics?
There are things an office can do to create inclusion of women and people of color. Whether it’s posters, snacks, meeting room names, these are all ambient cues that tell you in subtle or not so subtle ways whether you belong or not. – Elizabeth Weingarten
Increasing the diversity of the talent pool at the top of the funnel. We had to go through and look at our gaps in compensation and tune them up. You know it’s the right thing to do. – Peter Hamilton
Q: How Can you people advocate for change around gender equity within their own organization in a way that will be well received?
Know your value intrinsically and extrinsically. – Elizabeth Weingarten
Do your homework. – Peter Hamilton
Look at PayScale and see how much you’re worth, what you can contribute and what value you bring to an organization. – Christy Johnson
Want to see the full discussion?
Access it here and tell us what you think! Comment below or join the discussion on Twitter!
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