Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's misstep: Why 'karma' won't cut it for women and equal pay
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella blew it at a prestigious gathering of women in technology last week by suggesting that women shouldn't ask for raises. But despite Nadella鈥檚 faith in 鈥渢he system鈥� to give women raises, they're better off asking for them.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella blew it at a prestigious gathering of women in technology last week by suggesting that women shouldn't ask for raises. But despite Nadella鈥檚 faith in 鈥渢he system鈥� to give women raises, they're better off asking for them.
Freshly minted Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella blew it big at the most prestigious gathering of women in technology.
Appearing on stage at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing on Thursday, Nadella聽told the largely female audience: 鈥淚t鈥檚 not really about asking for a raise, but knowing and having faith that the system will give you the right raise.鈥�
鈥淭hat might be one of the initial 鈥榮uper powers,鈥� that quite frankly, women (who) don鈥檛 ask for a raise have 鈥� It鈥檚 good karma. It will come back,鈥� said Nadella, according to Readwrite.
The聽Twitter backlash聽from the uncomfortable audience was loud and immediate. Nadella backpedaled in a聽Tweet of his own: 鈥淲as inarticulate re how women should ask for raise. Our industry must close gender pay gap so a raise is not needed because of a bias.鈥� Later he sent a letter of apology to Microsoft employees. 鈥淚 answered that question completely wrong,鈥澛爃e wrote.
We鈥檒l say. The tech industry has been facing a mounting problem at the paucity of jobs for women 鈥� only聽one in four programmers聽is female. In all industries, women currently earn only 77 cents for every dollar men earn.
Still, there are signs of change. A聽NerdWallet study in March聽found that in cities like Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Centennial, Colorado and Lowell, Massachusetts, the pay gap between men and women shrank more than 30% between 2007 and 2012.
The best occupations for fair pay between genders is respiratory therapists, computer specialists, research analysts, store clerks and medical scientists 鈥� all are fields where women make as much as or more than men,聽according to our analysis.聽But men who are CEOs, or in businesses related to finance and real estate,earn far more聽than their female counterparts.
Experts say 鈥渒arma鈥� isn鈥檛 going to cut it when it comes to women asking for a raise.
Why?聽Research shows聽that women ask for 30% less money than men do; men initiate salary discussions four times more than women do; women rate themselves negatively compared to men on scientific ability, yet score almost the same as men do.
Schools like Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Houston and Barnard College聽offer classes for women聽on negotiation, led by people like Sara Laschever, author of 鈥淲omen Don鈥檛 Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide.鈥�
In short, despite Nadella鈥檚 faith in 鈥渢he system鈥� to give women a raise, you鈥檙e better off asking for it.
The post聽Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella鈥檚 Misstep: Women Should Trust 鈥楰arma鈥� for Pay Equity?聽appeared first on聽NerdWallet News.