THE NEW JERSEY BAN ON SALARY HISTORY QUESTIONS: CLOSING THE GENDER WAGE GAP ONE QUESTION AT A TIME
Author: Abigail Cook
Kerri Sleeman’s supervisor told her many times: “if [he] could duplicate [her], [he’d] be able to get rid of the rest of the staff.” Sleeman thrived as the supervisor who took over a failing project and turned it around. Yet, when the company proceeded through bankruptcy court, Sleeman discovered that many of the young men she supervised were getting paid more than her. When she spoke up about the discrepancy, her former supervisor unapologetically suggested that the men probably made more because they were the sole breadwinners for their wives and families. Sleeman lost out of more than $10,000 in pay and retirement benefits in the short five years she worked for that company. Unfortunately, Kerri Sleeman’s situation is not unique; almost all working women are impacted by the gender wage gap.