Why These Differences?
It's easy to simply look at these numbers and begin to speculate about what's going on in the world of racial politics, about shifts in power among various ethnic and racial groups here in the U.S. But, as I always caution, numbers seldom tell a complete story, particularly when it comes to issues of race.Yes, Discrimination and Racial Hierarchies Are Real
Don't get me wrong - I'm not discounting race as a factor. It has already been proven that it most certainly remains a factor, and a significant one at that.Tannette Johnson-Elie, a writer for Journal Sentinel in Milwaukee writes of a recent study, conducted by professors at the University of Chicago and Massachussettes Institute of Technology, during which 5,000 resumes were submitted in consideration for employment opportunities listed in the Boston Globe and the Chicago Tribune. Their findings revealed that white-sounding names like Mary Bradford received about 50% more responses than ethnic sounding names like Tameeka Washington, even though the qualifications and credentials were the same. So, it isn't a far reach to suspect that discriminatory recruiting practices extend beyond the interview process to influence compensation decisions.
But, Race is Seldem Ever the Only Issue
We humans are motivated by a need to simplify our complex world. Therefore, we tend to rely on stereotypes to inform us about where we stand in the world in relation to others. One result of this oversimplification is our emphasis on race as a primary indicator for just about everything. Race, however, is only but one ingredient in the total recipe for an individual's abilities, experience, educational level, perspectives, values, and yes, social status. So, let's take a look at some other possible compounding factors.Cultural Norms, Albeit Much Less Visible, Do Play an Important Role
It's well known that men earn more than women. This is not always a direct outcome of recruiter bias against women, but a complex combination of social and other factors that have caused this to be so. One well-recognized explanation relates to cultural norms. Men, as a group culture, tend to negotiate better, expect more, and be more assertive than women when it comes to their careers and earning potential. This cultural norm alone is a powerful variable, one that may be resulting in women getting paid for actual achievements (looking backward), while men, on the other hand, are getting paid for their future potential to achieve (looking forward).In the scenario of racial differences in pay, we find evidence of a similar phenomenon. The Administrative Science Quarterly reported on a study which found that Blacks tend to negotiate smaller salary increases than Asians. Dr. Tracey Wilen, author of International Business: A Basic Guide for Women sheds some light and explains why this may be so - "Asians do not look upon a contract as the end of the negotiations. To them it is just the beginning of a relationship that will change continuously as it is reevaluated and renegotiated."
If we agree with the hypothesis that women on the whole tend to be paid for their achievements after the fact rather than for the promise of their future potential, then this becomes a critical cultural difference. Perhaps a cultural norm that encourages periodic review of the employment contract - ongoing assessment of one's performance versus one's pay - would also serve to ensure that one's salary remained competitive.
Cultural Values Also Plays an Important Role
Many Asian cultures place a high value on prestigious, lucrative careers. Children are therefore, taught and expected to aim high.Although this is slowly changing, women as a group culture, by contrast, are most often socialized to aim for helping professions and supporting roles that by default, earn less than the more leadership oriented types of roles males are encouraged to pursue. Classic examples are the children's books that exist to this day, positioning boys as doctors and girls as nurses.
Again, Asian cultural norms and values may be overriding the limiting perspectives and experiences women my be socialized to integrate into their perceptions of and plans for themselves.
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