Mindset Shift When Negotiating Salary

There’s no easy way to say this… but women, especially black and indigenous women, are underpaid. Several organizations have put together the numbers and statistics detailing this. Any way you cut it, women get the short end of the stick when it comes to salary. Did you know that only 40% of women negotiate salary? There is something we can do about this though. Before we tackle salary negotiation strategies, here are 3 key mindsets to be aware of when negotiating salary.

1. You are not ungrateful for Negotiating

Growing up in a Mexican household, I was instilled to be grateful for everything I received. Asking for more was considered rude or ungrateful. While this may be true in spaces like family gatherings, it DOES NOT apply in salary negotiations.

Salary negotiation is a different environment from a family gathering. At the end of the day, employers are seeking your services. You deserve equitable payment for your services and work – no less. Negotiating salary is a business conversation regarding the cost of your services. You are not ungrateful for asking for what you are worth. No eres ingrata por pedir mas dinero! You are not ungrateful for asking for more money! If we do not remove this faux gratitude mindset, we put ourselves at risk of settling for less. We settle for less money, less benefits, less paid time off, and overall fewer resources. You deserve fair compensation for what you have to offer your employer.

2. Advocate For Yourself

The numbers don’t lie. Check out the chart above. Women, especially women of color, are underpaid compared to their white male colleagues. Therefore it is dire for women of color to advocate for themselves during salary negotiations. Research the base salary for the position, then tack on more- and guess what? You are probably still underselling yourself. The worst a company can say is “Sorry, we don’t have the budget for that but we can offer this”. This opens the negotiation conversation. Now you can negotiate a salary number in between, paid time off, stock options, sign-on bonus, flexible hours, etc.

You have the qualifications, you have experience and you are a team player who works well with others. There is no reason not to get the white man’s salary.  

3. You are setting the standards and expectations for The company to follow

When negotiating base salary, we set the standards and expectations for the company to follow. If we agree to a salary below market rate, the company will continue to offer us less despite the length of our employment length. A piece of personal advice: if a company is not willing to pay what you are worth, it is not a company worth working for.

Toxic work environments can lead to a miserable experience. I’ve had my fair share of toxic work environments, and it makes waking up for work a difficult task. Your mental health is important, if the job costs you your peace, you may want to consider a new job.

Final thoughts on Negotiating Mindsets

All women deserve equal pay and it’s important to recognize how the disparities in pay gap affect different communities differently.  Get used to employers who embrace women who negotiate their salary. Check out How to Negotiate Salary blog post for the negotiation tactics that have worked well for me.

The statistics and data from this article were derived from the national partnership for women and families organization fact sheet.