The Sexth Sense

A recent study of women and men and their pay scales shows "Women make only 80 percent of the salaries their male peers do one year after college; after 10 years in the work force, the gap between their pay widens further, according to a study released Monday.

The study, by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation, found that 10 years after college, women earn only 69 percent of what men earn."

If this sex discrimination, then it is shameful. I know many women, professional and not, that are incredible people and do fantastic jobs. Up front, I am not a chauvinist. My wife can testify to that statement, and I think many friends would agree.

That said, I do say "if." Because it appears the study is correlational meaning that a cause will not be determined, only that a correlation exists.

I have a keen interest in women leadership. I really want to see women excel and be compensated for the work they do. In regards to leadership, I think many scholars on women leadership seem to miss the boat. Many spend so much time trying to convince women to be more manly for many reasons. One reason is to receive the same pay. I think salary should be equal for equal talent. However, that is very unlikely given that each person brings different skills, etc.

I think along the lines that women should not become manly to rise to the top. Women should use the exact strengths that many men use, their strengths in union with their nature. Women are womanly. Use this. Women are nurturing. Men can be too and should be, but I would say it is more natural for a woman to be nurturing. In leadership development, coaching is one the primary tools to pass on leadership skills. This is nurturing. I would say a woman is going to be able to create more leaders if she uses her nurturing nature. But women are seldom told to use what is natural to them. In fact, I have read some studies that recommend women should become more manly. This is counter-productive because women are not men.

Women make 80% of a man's salary after college and 69% after 10 years working. A question I often ask many people when something seems to be working wrongly is "How is that working for you?" Well, women have been strongly active in the workforce for 80 years now. It has been 35 years or so since the "feministic revolt," how is it working for women being more manly?