Women, Work, and Wage Inequality

It’s no secret that there’s probably some guy in your company who gets paid more for doing the same job you do.  For millennials especially, who make up so much of the tech workforce, it’s often painfully obvious.  But hey, stick around for another 53 years and it’ll all be okay.

That’s the current estimate of how long it will take for gender wage inequality to fade away.   53 years.  Do you find that as pathetically amazing as I do?  Short of the Great Pyramids of Egypt or the Great Wall of China, I cannot think of much else that took so long to accomplish.

Time For Something New?

Below is the job by job breakout within the tech industry that compares earnings by gender.  Maybe it’s time to re-think a few things.  Things like careers.  Assertiveness.  And claiming your place at the table.  For now, check out this infographic produced by Ashley Fleming for Ecardshack.   There are some huge variations depending on the work you do and your level of expertise.  But across the board, women are paid less.  And before you get too forgiving because “it’s not really that much,” ponder this.

Let’s assume that you have the typical 30 year career.  And over that 30 years your average investment return on your retirement funds is a paltry 4%.  That pay gap will mean that at retirement you end up with about $350,000 less in your retirement nest egg, on average for the industry as a whole.