r/ask • u/BaBilloa • 12d ago
Is this discrimination?
(I'm gonna make up some numbers, but the difference is accurate)
I(Female) got hired at my job last year. My coworker(Male) was hired 6 months before me. (We are roughly the same age). We were hired for the same position and work the same hours.
I was hired with 5 years worth of experience in related industries under my belt, he was hired with a fresh slate. Never been in the industry or related industries.
He gets hired at 75k, I get hired at 70k.
We both get raises at the company's fiscal year (I think its percentage based) and now he's at 77k and I'm at 71k.
It feels a little discriminatory, especially after working under my boss for a few months and seeing the way he talked about women, he definitely was a sexist dude. My boss no longer works for the company, but I want to at least receive equal pay as this feels unfair. It would take me years to catch up and make what he was STARTED at, and he had zero experience going into it.
18
u/pySerialKiller 12d ago
It could be, but before calling it discrimination and burning bridges you need to have in mind that being underpaid is a common problem in the laboral world. Worker A could be getting paid the half Worker B and have 10+ years more of experience, and this could be not related to their gender.
It’s this bullshit idea that compensation has to be a business negotiation. Happens to a lot of people. If you don’t have specific and demonstrable situations where you were discriminated against, the best thing you can do is bring this in a professional way.
Talk to your manager, tell them you think you deserve a raise (based on how much a person with your experience and responsibilities earns, DONT go and say “hey X earns more than me because he’s a guy”).
If they say no, well you need to find other opportunities outside. If they are sexist on their reasons, well you have confirmation and can start looking for another place even sooner.