Ah, the sweet, sweet sound of corporate buzzwords. “We value diversity.” “We pay based on merit, not gender.” “Equality is a top priority.”Isn't that adorable? You can almost hear the CEO patting themselves on the back after putting a woman on their marketing materials for International Women’s Day. You know the drill. The company’s newest campaign featuring the "empowered women" who get empowered paychecks… or maybe not, but who’s counting? Definitely not the HR department.
Let’s get one thing straight. If you're a woman in engineering, your skills are, apparently, worth a little less than your male counterparts. How? Well, the math is simple, equal work, unequal pay. But don't worry, you’re probably “too emotional” or “not aggressive enough” to ask for more cash. It’s probably your fault. But don’t sweat it; at least you can enjoy your free coffee while working on a team of men who totally listen to your ideas, especially when it’s time to talk about your new project... as long as you’re not talking about pay raises.
You and your colleague, a guy named Chad who thinks a multimeter is a type of weather app, both get hired for the same solar installation role. Your credentials are solid, your experience is on point, and you both pass the interviews. But when the paychecks come, guess who gets paid more? Chad, of course. Why? Because… well, we don’t really know. Maybe it’s that invisible “merit” he has from being born with a Y chromosome. He probably deserves it.
And when you speak up about it? Oh, honey, it’s time for you to "calm down." You’re just too sensitive. Chill, we’re all friends here, they’ll say. Meanwhile, Chad will get promoted after his first month of being "hands-on" for a solid three minutes on-site. But who cares, right? Promotions are based on merit, and surely, Chad's deep knowledge of coffee machine operation must count for something. Right?
Women in engineering are constantly told they must work harder, prove themselves more, and show their worth while being stuck at the bottom of the pay scale. But guess what? That same hustle doesn’t seem to apply to the guy who “kind of” shows up on time and “accidentally” fixes a broken wire when you were too busy managing the entire team. But hey, at least he's taking all the credit.Except when things go wrong. Then, guess who’s left holding the bag? Not Chad. Oh no, you get to take the fall. Classic. Because when failure happens, it’s the woman who must have missed something, definitely not the guy who barely did his job. But, hey, at least he's taking all the credit, right?
And if you dare to bring it up? Be prepared for the classic “it’s not about gender” speech. “You’re being paranoid,” they’ll say. “It’s just the way things are,” they’ll say. “Maybe it’s your communication style,” they’ll say. Translation: "Maybe if you were just less competent, you wouldn’t have noticed."
Look, let’s not beat around the bush. If we're really working in a meritocracy, why does the pay gap persist? Why are women with the same qualifications earning less? Why are they stuck at the bottom of the corporate ladder? Why do women have to prove they deserve respect, while men are given it automatically, because they’re... well, men?
It’s not like we’re asking for anything special. We’re not asking for extra pay, we’re just asking for equal pay. Same job, same responsibility, same hours, same paycheck, right? Wrong.
So, here’s a thought: maybe, just maybe, it’s time to throw out the performative diversity campaigns and focus on the actual diversity where it matters, in the paycheck. Or do we just prefer to keep handing out “high fives” and pretending the gender pay gap doesn’t exist while we sip our overpriced lattes in the boardroom?
Nah. Keep the lattes, keep the token representation. But when it comes to the money? Maybe we’d like a little bit of that, too.
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