#EndSalaryHistory
“How much are you currently earning?”
This one sentence disproportionately contributes to maintaining and perpetuating the gender and ethnicity pay gaps. Many organisations have no idea how damaging asking job applicants for their salary history can be.
Asking for salary history is a self-perpetuating system which maintains historical and gender inequality. It is not pegged to the job, but to an individual’s perceived worth and negotiating abilities, and it tends to penalise those who have taken time out of the workplace, as many women do.
It also puts those moving up or down the pay scale at a disadvantage, and allows employers to make the lowest possible offer, rather than simply providing a fair salary for the job they are recruiting for.
The Fawcett Society (East London) as part of their #EndSalaryHistory campaign have are produced a toolkit for employees looking to bring about change in their own company. The toolkit provides some ideas for you to help champion the #EndSalaryHistory campaign.
Read the toolkit here.
