Even In Female-Dominated Fields, Men Still Make More Money

The truth about the gender pay gap is difficult to ignore. Women, especially in upper-level positions, are still earning 17 cents less for every dollar their male counterparts make. And those 17 cents add up, people.

According to new research by Earnest, men earn more than women in dozens of common positions. But as they looked deeper, they were able to find a few positions in which women made more than men.

Honestly, I was a little bummed about these positions, as none of them are considered "upper-level," in my opinion. Even in female-dominated fields, like nursing, men are still making more. You'd think that, in a female-dominated field, the wage gap wouldn't exist. But here we are.

Overall, the higher up in management you go, the wider the pay gap, especially if you're a medical physician. According to the research, men make around $216,000, while women make $180,000. That's a $36,000 difference, people.

The three positions women are paid more for aren't positions like account manager, consultant or director. No.

They are barista, cashier and customer service representative.

Sigh. We can do better than that, America.

Women should probably be speaking up more when it comes to getting raises. The findings of this research that bugs me the most is the percentage of women ages 18-24 who negotiate salaries compared to the percentage of men in that group who negotiate.

Only 26 percent of women negotiate salaries, while 42 percent of men negotiate.

Ladies. Don't be afraid to ask for what you're worth. Asking for what you deserve and for compensation that matches your experience and value will be one sure way women can work to even out this pesky wage gap.

But there's good news here, too. The government recently hosted a hackathon to come up with ways to "hack" the wage gap. Plus, it's becoming more common for companies to implement new family friendly and maternity friendly policies, as well as more transparency around salaries.

When it comes to the wage gap, I think, as women, we can't just expect companies to start working to close it themselves. We have to meet employers halfway by asking for what we are worth, which is completely equal to men.

Citations: Climbing the Ladder, Widening the Gender Pay Gap (Earnest)