According to an article on forbes.com, it takes a woman one year, two months, and three days to make what her male counterparts make in one year. I’m going to pause in order to let that sink in.
Doesn’t seem like such a big deal? Well, research shows that the discrepancy can result in lifetime salary losses of $375,000 to $1.5 million! Again, I’ll take another pause for the cause here.
What does this have to do with coaching and the intangibles that I love so much? Everything! Here’s an excerpt from an article about women and their uneasiness with power…including salary negotiations:
“In situations such as salary negotiations, studies show that women often believe that they deserve less than similarly qualified men and are, as a consequence, likely to demand less and to press their salary demands with less vigor.”
For those of us who love our athletes and want them to excel when they get to the real world, this is very disconcerting and it can’t be alright. Part of our jobs as a “significant adult” in their lives is to talk to them about things like this. Our ladies need to understand that negotiating salary is not only okay, but expected.