How To Get Your Organization To Pay You For Being An Expert… at Being A Woman
What if part of your value, what you are compensated for, in a male-dominated institution *is* being a woman?
When my student Jenny had her first child, all her male supervisors gave congratulations and said they’d support her. So Jenny focuses on her baby and no work during maternity leave.
She returned to open arms, no one commenting on her performance—only to have it dinged at review. No recognition that she’s birthed a human child.
There are many structural reasons why—patriarchy, sexism, capitalism—and in this case, it’s the first time a woman had ever gone on mat leave at this mostly male firm.
The org had no processes, policies, or training to deal with the stone-cold fact that if you’re raising a newborn, you are NOT going to be 100%, which is normal and okay.
Now Jenny’s having her second. She also has anxiety about how to break it to her firm.
To quote her, she wanted to get ahead of “dropping the ball” with her 2nd. She’s also enthusiastic about aligning firm culture with an organizational imperative: retaining female talent.
To align her needs with the company’s objectives is the work of a leader. AND by choosing to work with HR to educate management to better support and retain female talent adds tremendous value to her firm – and that means she should be compensated for it.
Change The Frame
The problem is not her failing. She was focused on the right thing: her newborn. Since this is a professed area of growth, contextualize her experience into the bigger picture: it will come up again and you may lose women in the process.
For Jenny, who is willing to go above and beyond and use her unique experience to help it retain the firm’s best women, we shift the expectation that this will be elective unpaid labor. If retaining women is a stated organizational objective, then delivering against that objective is yet another piece of her story and value.
Of course, there’s the possibility of lip service and no follow-through. And if that happens, it’s disappointing but good to know where the firm actually stands.
Worst case: you find a greener pasture.
Best case: you’re compensated for the value you bring to your firm, and your womanhood becomes an asset rather than a “distraction.”
This and many more lessons in framing your value so it aligns with your brand and message in our new Career Strategy GPS program:
A 9 month online course & group program that gets ambitious, high performing womxn hired, promoted and paid for their leadership and expertise without overwhelm or overwork.
Interested in joining?
Fill out a 3 question application for Career GPS
If we think you’re a fit, you’ll receive an invitation to the FREE Private Training
Join an exclusive group of hand selected women and learn to articulate your brand and value and see if the program is for you :)
Have questions now? Reach out to us at holler@acelectric.co and we’ll hit you back.
Stay Electric ⚡️
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