Women's Rights: Yes its wrong to be paid less for equal work. Yes you have a valid complaint and may have options to fix the problem.

However, I suggest you do nothing and just suck-it-up. I know that is not what you want to hear and may be unpopular but there it is. I'm a cautious man with perhaps a touch of paranoia, but also one with some business world experience. Many managers are willing to stab you in the back at a moment's notice and they don't have to explain themselves to anyone.

You are an intern, you have no power and are greatly dependent on the good wishes of your superiors. You want a good grade and credit for your work (and letters of recommendation, maybe even a job offer from the company.) You want the company to sing your praises when future HR staff call and ask about the application you just handed them. You don't want to be fired or even to be thought ill of.

Your bosses have you tightly in their grip. Grin and bear the slight until the internship is over and you got what you came for. The internship can be multiple wins for your career development and progression, don't darken it or make it a negative. You are in a fragile situation, BE CAREFUL. Do not rock the boat. Don't let your pride slash a hole in what you're building.

It's a bit like visiting a museum. The museum can offer wonderful things to you, but you have to be quiet, walk slowly and don't touch anything. Make a disturbance and you can be thrown out and asked not to return.

-Doughdee222

"I am a realist, not a pessimist. The real world is pessimistic by nature."

Shortly after starting my first 'real' job, I realized I was being paid about 20% less than my male peers. We were all hired together with similar qualifications. The only difference? I asked for 20% less than they did.

Lesson learned.

I think a huge reason why women are paid less is because we ask for less.

doughdee222:

Women's Rights: Yes its wrong to be paid less for equal work. Yes you have a valid complaint and may have options to fix the problem.

However, I suggest you do nothing and just suck-it-up. I know that is not what you want to hear and may be unpopular but there it is. I'm a cautious man with perhaps a touch of paranoia, but also one with some business world experience. Many managers are willing to stab you in the back at a moment's notice and they don't have to explain themselves to anyone.

You are an intern, you have no power and are greatly dependent on the good wishes of your superiors. You want a good grade and credit for your work (and letters of recommendation, maybe even a job offer from the company.) You want the company to sing your praises when future HR staff call and ask about the application you just handed them. You don't want to be fired or even to be thought ill of.

Your bosses have you tightly in their grip. Grin and bear the slight until the internship is over and you got what you came for. The internship can be multiple wins for your career development and progression, don't darken it or make it a negative. You are in a fragile situation, BE CAREFUL. Do not rock the boat. Don't let your pride slash a hole in what you're building.

It's a bit like visiting a museum. The museum can offer wonderful things to you, but you have to be quiet, walk slowly and don't touch anything. Make a disturbance and you can be thrown out and asked not to return.

-Doughdee222

"I am a realist, not a pessimist. The real world is pessimistic by nature."

Tell me, if it were the other way around, would you be able to sit back and take it in stride like you're advising the LW? If you found yourself paid less simply because you have an extra appendage, would you allow yourself to be at the mercy of such a bias simply because 'that's the way it is?'

That's not being realistic; that's being apathetic. Realism suggests you recognize how things are, but that things can change.

Is it possible the LW may receive negative backlash from confronting the situation? Yes, absolutely. Should it be that way? No, but hey, not everyone on this planet has a fair head on his or her shoulders. Her entire life will not be ruined by it, however. I dare say her chances of succeeding in the working world may be more damaged if she doesn't learn how to stand up for herself, than if she sucks it up and lets the world walk over her.

Fortunately, not all women have taken such advice as you've given, otherwise we'd be back at square one, without even the right to vote.

she may also run into problems becaue most companies have strict confidentiality policies about dicussing your pay with other employees. in my opinion, prudie's advice will get both interns fired for divulging their pay. if she wants to take that chance, more power to her. if she's in a right-to-work state like this one, they can fire her for no good reaon, and most likely will.

That's the first thing I thought of. I work in the tech industry and this is a fire-able offense. Best case scenario is you get "written up" and are warned not to do it again. You do NOT discus your wages with co-workers, specifically because it causes the problems and conflicts between the co-workers and HR has to get involved.

If this girl follows Prudie's advice she is in danger of getting her co-worker in trouble as well. Of course you're both interns and I suppose that is what internship is all about, learning what is and is not acceptble in a work enviroment.

As a side note, sometimes a worker will earn slightly more pay because they negotiate for it during the highering interviews. If a manager thinks he/she can get away with paying you less, and you don't speak up and say you're worth more, be prepared to be payed less than your co-workers. It almost never hurts to ask for a little more pay as long as it is within reason.

I'm inclined to agree with DoughDee on this one. Of course it's not fair that the LW is being paid less, assuming that she's delivering the same quality of work as her peers. At the same time, she should honestly ask herself if this is the hill she wants to die on. Prudie would have her go from zero to discrimination suit in six seconds. There's certainly nothing wrong with asking for a raise, or for that matter speaking up if you feel you're being treated unfairly. But another valuable life lesson she could take from this is to choose your battles carefully. We are talking a dollar more an hour at an internship (which often don't pay any wages). Plus, I've worked with people who have openly discussed salaries and bonuses, and they've always been viewed by management as highly unprofessional.

You're absolutely right. She's there to get experience, a grade, and a recommendation. If she wants to make waves, she may as well change majors.

I once asked for a $20 raise, hoping to get just 5%. I got what I asked for. That and several articles I've read confirmed that women typically are not good at negotiating when it comes to money. We haven't had good role models, and generally have been encouraged to meekly submit to whatever is offered.

Antigone is right, you have to fight for your pay. This person should just go up to the boss and say she is the best intern on the staff and would like to get $2 more an hour. If they give her 1/2 that she gets want she want without appearing like a troublemaker, if they say no way, it's time to become a troublemaker.

IncogNeato:

I once asked for a $20 raise, hoping to get just 5%.

That should read, "20%". Darned computer, printing what I type instead of what I meant!

you're all a bucnh of chickensh*ts who say she should suck it up and not rock the boat. she's an intern for God's sake. what does she have to lose? say she stands up for herself and the company fires her. She shows resolve and that particular company never goes on her resume.

On the other hand, the above advice that she should go to her boss and says she's the best intern and deserves a $2 an hour raise, is very shrewd and has no downside. She doesn't get her friend in trouble, she stands up for herself, and she gets to see what this company is made of.

the reason women are paid less is exaclty becasue of the idiotic advice given by the guy who started this thread. He wouldn't stand for it if it was happeing to him and neither should this intern. Unequal pay won't stop until women stand up and confront these situations where it's clearly discriminatory.

give 'em hell, intern!

If an intern gets fired, she flunks the class it's for. Also, depending upon the profession, she may never work in that industry again. Plus, she may get the other intern fired, and cause the company to be unwilling to hire any more from her college.

But hey, it's no skin off her teeth, right?

macadam0 wrote the following post at 05/16/2008 10:40 AM: you're all a bucnh of chickensh*ts who say she should suck it up and not rock the boat.

The company I work for is a huge pharmaceutical company, several, several interns have ended up coming back to work for us full time. Two have interned with us every summer for all 4 school years.

We aren't saying suck it up & not rock the boat. We are saying she needs to smartly choose her battles, this one might not be a good one to make waves.

(Do I get a prize for using as many cliques as possible?)