Lack of transparency significantly contributes to pay inequity between women and their male peers, particularly when women do not realize compensation can be negotiated, according to a post in the Chicago Tribune.
"The primary reason women don't assert themselves is that they're more likely to receive backlash for negotiating than men," said Hannah Riley Bowles, senior lecturer at Cambridge, Mass.-based Harvard University's Kennedy School and leading expert on the influence of gender on pay negotiations. "In male-dominant fields, men are likely to have better information and access to opportunities."
To combat this lack of transparency, here are three salary negotiation tips for women.
1. Women should ask about what aspects of compensation are negotiable and what the norms, standards and opportunities are before asking the employer, Ms. Bowles said. "It's also important to get advice from people across genders," she added. "If women are asking women and men are asking men, they may come up with different answers as to what's negotiable."
2. Barbara Yong, a partner at Chicago-based business law firm Golan Christie Taglia and lead organizer of Equal Pay Day Chicago, reminds employees that everything is negotiable, including benefits. Ms. Yong suggests employees negotiate for vacation days, paid time off, additional insurance coverage for family members and severance packages.
3. Women looking to negotiate compensation can use LinkedIn, Glassdoor, PayScale and industry magazines, which offer insights on salaries, benefits and negotiation trends.