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It’s Time for the Gender Pay Gap to End

1/20/2019

The gender pay gap is a stranger to no one. Although the Equal Pay Act was signed by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, the gap still stands, surrounding each and every one of us and extending to all corners of the globe. It silently hovers above us, however its repercussions are as strong as ever. Women are earning just 80 cents for every dollar men are earning. That means $513 billion is lost in wages for women each year. If we are all so familiar with this inequality and the disadvantages are clear, why aren’t companies taking more action?

What we know about the gender pay gap…
A stunning fact of this matter is that there is only one job where women earn more than men. That’s right, one. It’s as a wholesale or retail buyer and in this job women earn about $4,000 more on average. Though, the largest gap is in financial services where women earn $40,000 less than men on average. California boasts having the smallest pay gap overall, but there is still a $6,000 difference on average. Women, men, companies, and governments should not and cannot settle for a $6,000 gap.

Taking a look within 462 companies that include 19.6 million people during a four year study conducted by McKinsey & Company, it is clear that women are underrepresented. Additionally women of color are the most underrepresented group of all. When taking a look into managerial positions, women hold only 38% of manager positions and only 79 women will be promoted to a managerial position for every 100 men. These are facts that cannot be denied, so it’s time that change and action stop being delayed.

…and what we know about the awesome things women are doing
Although the gender pay gap still exists, that isn’t stopping women from fighting back. This past year, women spoke out on social media about their personal experiences with sexual harassment by using the hashtag, #MeToo. The #MeToo movement was impactful and necessary considering the fact that a shocking 35% of women in the American workforce and 55% of women in senior positions have experienced sexual harassment. This movement even reached Beijing, where software engineer Luo Xixi experienced sexual harassment first hand from her Ph.D. thesis advisor. Just like countless other women, she turned this tragedy into change. In just one day she gathered 3,000 signatures on a petition that asked her Beijing university for an anti-sexual harassment mechanism. Stories like Luo’s are the ones that are driving others to demand for more respect for women in professional settings.

Actions that we can all take today!
The data presented earlier makes it clear that significant action needs to be taken now and we can all do a small part that will make a huge difference. Just like with any other issue, writing to your state and local legislators can make a difference. Let your own voice be heard and together we cannot be silenced. Raising awareness is the first step towards action, so sharing articles and research that you find about the gender pay gap could be a strong step towards equal pay. Learning how to negotiate your salary could also be a direct and impactful way to combat the gap in gender pay. You can take each of these actions to make a better world for women tomorrow. It’s time that these facts about gender pay are no more, and it can start with you.

Lindy Behling

Editor: Nicole Egel

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Resumes: The Importance of Involvement

1/9/2019

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All of your involvements should be considered when making a resume! I’ve seen students who have had years of volunteering experience, and have never considered including it on their resume. Even though it’s not paid experience it’s still experience. If you’re just creating a resume, think about what you do on a weekly basis, in terms of non-academic commitments. Your resume can be broken down into 3 categories: Academic, Involvement, and Work/Professional Experience. These will be the 3 main portions of a resume. If you’d like to view sample resumes to get started, check out this great Fisher resource!

How should I include involvement in my resume?
When including your involvements on your resume, you want to write 2 or more bullets about each involvement experience. These bullets are supposed to describe what you specifically did, whether that be attending weekly meetings, serving on a committee, or something else. You want to start each bullet with a verb. Did you work on a team? Perhaps you want to begin the bullet with, “Collaborated on a team of 5 to…”. The key word here is to. What did you accomplish? Did you successfully implement a program? Did you plan an event? The to portion of your bullet will specify exactly what you did. The best advice that I can give when creating these bullets is to ask yourself, “How does this add value to my resume?”

How should I include UBWA in my resume?
UBWA is a great thing to put on a resume! There have been countless times in interviews where employers have honed in on this involvement. In a world where women’s rights and equality are being recognized and voiced in the professional space, recruiters love to see people’s passion for the cause.

So what if you only attend weekly meetings? First, I’d say you’re missing out on a lot of what UBWA has to offer. Our weekly meetings are only a small bit of our agenda as an organization. Regardless, you should definitely put your commitment to our meetings on your resume. Perhaps it’d look something like, “Committed to attending weekly meetings, learning about…”.

How else can you get involved? Our committees and other programs are the best way to further your involvement! For example, the exec board has prioritized the growth and involvement of our members this year by creating more opportunities for you all to get involved! We have a mentorship program, a philanthropy committee, a blog committee, and a Women’s Week committee this year. Maybe your bullet for this would be something like, “Developed marketing strategy to reach UBWA’s Buckeyethon goal of…”.

Even if you aren’t a part of any of these committees or programs, there are still a lot of ways to get more involved. You can sign up for volunteering opportunities, go to our professional development events, attend our socials, or even develop your own ideas. Freshman year, I launched a book drive for UBWA. If there’s something that you’re passionate about, we want to support you in achieving it!

Are you still unsure about how to get involved or how to incorporate involvements on your resume?
If you are wondering about how you can get further involved, whether that be within UBWA or outside of it, the Undergraduate Leadership and Engagement Office has Peer Impact Consultants that can help you. Their job is to meet with students to help them get involved. You can learn more about this offering here. If you’re still wondering about how you can incorporate your involvements on your resume, I invite you to stop by the Office of Career Management to see me or one of the other Peer Career Coaches. You can learn more about this offering here.

If you have any specific questions, or if you would like to chat further about professional development or getting involved, please feel free to email me at esker.12@osu.edu.

Alli Esker

Editor: Elizabeth Kazemi

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