The Salary Trap

The pay gap between men and women and for nonminority and minority workers has persisted for decades despite federal and state legislation and substantial enforcement efforts. While much of the pay differential can be traced to factors other than gender or race, such as occupational choice, union membership, anddifferent industry characteristics, the strong inference remains that unlawful wage discrimination is a contributing cause. The fact is that there is something embedded in the employment process itself that conspires to keep the pay of women and minorities low. Under current laws, a hiring company may ask job applicants for information 0on salary history and then use that information to set the salary for a newly hired employee. It's time to put the negotiation of salary offers on a level playing field by ensuring that a person's salary history is not used to unfairly eliminate them from consideration for a job or to perpetuate past wage discrimination. Until this situation is corrected, discriminatory wage inequities will continue.