Black woman’s boss told her her ‘eloquence and smarts’ made her ‘intimidating’ and ineligible for promotion, she says

CHICAGO (AP) – Not even education can close the wage gap that persists between women and men, in keeping with a recent U.S. Census report.

Census research shows that whether women complete post-secondary education or graduate from a top university, they still earn about 71 cents on the dollar in comparison with men at the identical level of education.

This difference becomes starkly visible on Equal Pay Day and despite the undeniable fact that women make up greater than half of college-educated staff and are participating within the labor market at record rates.

Instead of comparing men working full-time with women working full-time, the Feb. 22 Census report contrasts men and women with the identical education: graduates of certificate programs and individuals with bachelor’s degrees from probably the most selective universities, the economist explained. Kendall Houghton, co-author of the study. The report also takes under consideration graduates who could have given up work, e.g. women taking good care of children.

“The bottom line is that there is a significant gap at every level,” added census economist and co-author Ariel Binder.

Major, profession alternative, and hours account for most, but not all, of the variance. For example, field of study contributed far more to the pay gap for top graduates (24.6%), but for less selective degree holders they accounted for only a small proportion (3.8%). The variety of hours and weeks worked contributes more to the wage gap for certificate holders (26.4%) than for chosen bachelor’s degree holders (11.3%), suggesting that there’s a larger gender gap in work participation for certificate holders , Binder said.

At the identical time, about 31% of the differences at each level of education remain unexplained, suggesting that aspects which can be tougher to measure, reminiscent of gender stereotypes and discrimination, could also be at play.

Chantel Adams says she’s not surprised that the gender pay gap persists even amongst men and women with the identical level and quality of education, or that the gap is larger for black and Latina women.

Adams, a senior marketing executive with an MBA from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, said her qualifications weren’t enough to beat the adversity she faced in her profession as a black woman.

Despite taking up additional responsibilities and undeniably performing well, Adams stated that she was denied a promotion because she was told that “I was so articulate and smart that it scared some people.”

“I have almost $300,000 for post-secondary education. It would be surprising if I wasn’t articulate and smart,” said Adams, who lives in Durham, North Carolina.

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She said her colleagues at the corporate – one in all whom didn’t have an MBA – were promoted while she was held back two years in a row.

“It’s unreasonable and unfair to call someone out on their strengths,” Adams said. “I would consider it something that was racially motivated.”

According to Carolina Aragao, who studies social and demographic trends on the Pew Research Center, young women are generally closer to pay parity with younger men. However, the difference increases between the ages of 35 and 44, which coincides with the period when women most frequently resolve to have a toddler at home.

“It doesn’t work the same way for men,” Aragao said, adding that there’s actually an opposite phenomenon often called the fatherhood premium, where fathers are likely to earn greater than other staff, including men without children at home .

Aragao said that despite huge gains within the number of ladies in leadership positions and in high-earning industries, improving the pay gap has stalled for about 20 years. Unequal childcare and household responsibilities, falling college premiums and overrepresentation in lower-paid jobs are all aspects contributing to persistent pay gaps.

For Adams, the perfect technique to overcome these problems was to always change jobs – in her case six times in 10 years, in multiple states.

“I knew I had to be intentional and act with urgency in navigating my career to face this headwind,” she said. “When one company didn’t provide me with those opportunities, I went to another company.”

Adams said profession coaching, mentoring and support from the Forte Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on the advancement of ladies, have played a key role in her success, while pay transparency laws – and even pay transparency in social circles – may help alleviate the numerous challenges related to the pay gap for women of color.

But corporate diversity initiatives have been the topic of an increasing variety of lawsuits for the reason that Supreme Court struck down affirmative motion in college admissions. Adams said she fears that without affirmative motion, racial diversity in businesses could also decline.

“The big question hanging over my head, and over probably many other executive leaders, is: How does this impact the pipeline of diverse candidates that we may or may not have in 10 years?” Adams said.