Why women can’t just ‘lean in’ their way into equal pay

Click on the interactive elements in the infographic to find out more!

“I believe, therefore I can,” the old adage says – and it’s a mentality that is said to be lacking in women and creating the gender wage gap. 

The dominant narrative frames the gap as a result of women’s lack of confidence compared to men when it comes to pursuing higher paying roles and salaries.

The commonly suggested antidote has been that once we boost women’s relevant skill and education levels (such as bringing more women into STEM roles), and relatedly their confidence levels, the pay gap would solve itself.

So why does the gender wage gap stubbornly remain, even when women have comparable education, skills and work experience? 

Research suggests that the opposite narrative might be true: The pay gap does not stem from a self-esteem issue but a systemic one. 

As the graphs above show:

• The wage gap stubbornly persists despite equalizing confidence-related factors.
• Another significant pattern is that wages decrease whenever female concentration rises, across multiple industries. There is evidence that suggests this is caused in part by the perception that women’s entry into an occupation causes declines in its prestige.
• We also see that the income gap can have a significant impact on a person’s mental health and confidence. 

While the data doesn’t rule out the possibility of confidence affecting the wage gap, we can’t deny that systemic factors beyond an individual’s confidence and even competence levels are a primary driver. 

To understand this is a huge deal. 

It allows one to re-evaluate objectively when they feel a lack of confidence, and acknowledge that what they feel may not signal a problem or lack within themselves but a systemic one, which they can then change with the right approach.

Credits
Design: Lim Chae Huah
Editing: Dhania Putri Sarahtika

Sources: World Economic Forum, Our World in Data, Bureau of Labor Statistics Data, Ministry of Manpower Singapore, National Institutes of Health, JSTOR

This article is part of Inspiring Inclusion, Tech in Asia’s campaign for International Women’s Day 2024, which ties in with our larger initiative to support women in tech by shining the spotlight on their stories, the impact they’ve had, and their achievements.

This content was produced by Tech in Asia Studios, which connects brands with Asia’s tech community. Learn more about partnering with Tech in Asia Studios.