Most Say They Would Consider Quitting If Paid Unfairly

Pay Equity Day is March 14, 2023

More than 4 out of 10 women say that pay equity has become more important to them since COVID, according to a survey conducted this month by the Conferences for Women in partnership with Indeed.

Of 4,382 respondents, 75.59 percent said they would be “likely,” “very likely,” or “extremely likely” to consider working for another organization if they found their pay unfair. Only 3.2 percent said they would be unlikely to look for other work.

Meanwhile, 59.13 percent of women surveyed said they did not think businesses were serious about addressing pay equity in 2023, with an additional 24.53 percent saying they weren’t sure and 16.34 percent saying they thought businesses were serious.

The Conferences for Women is the largest network of women’s conferences nationwide. Its conferences in California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Texas attract more than 50,000 people annually. Indeed is the #1 job site in the world.

“Pay equity has been a persistent issue for decades,” said Laurie Dalton White, founding executive director of the Conferences for Women. “This survey shows that something changed as a result of COVID. A significant number of college-educated, professional women have decided enough already. Pay equity is a matter of simple fairness.”

Women earn about $.83 for every dollar a man earns, according to the United States Census Bureau.

“Improved disclosure of salary transparency in the hiring process is a no-brainer for both job seekers and employers. When women in the US understand that when they make a median of 83 cents on the dollar compared with men, or when Black women are made aware that they are only earning 64 cents on the dollar compared with White, non-Hispanic men, they are in a position to demand equal pay for equal work. Pay transparency promotes much-needed social progress, propelling our society forward, and helping more workplaces achieve pay equity,” said Priscilla Koranteng, Chief People Officer at Indeed.

“We began including pay information in 2019 before being required to do so by law in certain markets, and we hope more employers will take a cue from us and enjoy success by making pay transparency a top priority,” Koranteng added.

More than 80 percent of the Conferences for Women survey respondents held positions that ranged from management to the C-suite. Specifically:

• 39.57 percent identified as managers or assistant managers,
• 26.08 percent as directors or assistant directors,
• 9.01 percent as vice presidents or assistant vice presidents,
• 2.05 percent as executive or senior vice presidents, and
• 3.69 percent (or 135) reported holding C-suite positions.

Regarding education, 45.96 percent of respondents reported holding a bachelor’s degree, 35.62 percent a master’s degree, and 6.75 a Ph.D. or higher.

Income levels were also relatively high, with

• 34.45 percent reporting annual incomes of $150,000 and above
• 30.87 reporting incomes of $100,000 to 149,999,
• 16.68 reporting incomes of $75,000 to 99,999
• 11.23 reporting incomes of $50,000 to 74,999
• 3 percent reporting incomes of $25,000 to 49,9999
• And only 0.30 percent (or 12) reporting incomes of under $25,000