News

Women Just As Likely To Ask For Pay Rise But Less Likely To Get One, Report Finds

By Anna Dannreuther, Writer 6 Sep 2016
Women
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Women are just as likely as men to ask for a pay rise, but are less likely to get one, says a new report published today.

Do Women Ask?

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The report is based on a study by the Cass Business School, Warwick University and the University of Wisconsin called ‘Do Women Ask?’. The results of the study are that women ask for wage rises just as often as men, but men are 25 per cent more likely to get a raise when they ask.

As the BBC notes, this study counters the popular theory that women do not get paid as much as men because they do not ask.

The study only compared full-time like-for-like male and female workers, thereby eliminating any impact on the study from part-time workers, which the study claimed was a first.

Inequality for women

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In addition to finding that men are 25% more likely to get a pay rise when they asked, the report also found that there was no evidence for the idea that women would not ask for a pay rise for fear of upsetting a boss or not complying with a perceived female stereotype.

The report was based on a random sample of 4,600 workers across more than 800 employers. The data was taken from a 2013 – 2014 Australian Workplace Relations Survey. On this methodology, co-author Andrew Oswald, Professor of Economics and Behavioural Science at the University of Warwick, said this:

We realised that Australia was the natural test bed, because it is the only country in the world to collect systematic information on whether employees have asked for a rise.

Commenting on the study’s findings, Professor Oswald said this:

Having seen these findings, I think we have to accept that there is some element of pure discrimination against women. It could be that Australia is odd. But it’s a modern industrial economy halfway in character between Britain and the US, so I think that’s unlikely.

Dr Amanda Goodall from City University London said that one upside of the report is that “young women today are negotiating their pay and conditions more successfully than older females, and perhaps that will continue as they become more senior“.

  • You can read the full report here
  • You have a right not to be discriminated against on the basis of gender. Read our infographic for more information. 
  • This report follows a recent study finding that the gender wage gap increases when women return from maternity leave.
  • Read our briefing on the Government’s new regulations to tackle the gender pay gap.

Human rights and business

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RightsInfo has recently posted several articles on how business is falling short in the area of human rights.  Read these posts for more information.

Please read and share these posts so people know how important this issue is.

About The Author

Anna Dannreuther Writer

Anna Dannreuther is a barrister at Field Court Chambers practising in public, employment, and commercial law. She is a trans ally and has worked extensively on human rights issues, including at the European Court of Human Rights and with NGO partners.

Anna Dannreuther is a barrister at Field Court Chambers practising in public, employment, and commercial law. She is a trans ally and has worked extensively on human rights issues, including at the European Court of Human Rights and with NGO partners.