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V O L . X X I I I N O. V I I I A P R I L 1 7 , 2 0 1 7 8 B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S N E W S F RO M A RO U N D T H E S TAT E P O R T L A N D , M E | M I L K S T R E E T C A P I TA L .B I Z | 207-358 -790 0 NO appraisals NO committees QUICK responses QUICK closings When you need it done… CALL US. Call us today! Helping businesses stay competitive with specialized employment services • Temporary, Temp-to-Hire, and Direct-Hire • Skilled Trades • Flagging, Construction, Light Industrial, General Labor • Administrative, Finance/ Accounting, General Office • Safety/Worksite Services 1-800-639-8802 mainestaff.com Direct Personnel / Project Staffing / Project Staffing / / Project Flagging / Project Flagging / Let us go to work for you! Panel: Gender wage gap persists, despite progress B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r Women are less likely than men to receive equal pay, promotions, choice assignments, jobs perks, mentoring and other opportuni- ties to advance their careers. That was the message from panelists speaking at a wom- en's leadership forum hosted by Mainebiz at the University of Southern Maine in Portland. Panelists were: Anne-Marie Storey, an attorney practicing employ- ment law at Rudman Winchell; Barbara Babkirk, a master career counselor and principal at Heart At Work Associates, a career counseling and outplacement fi rm in Portland; Dawn Harmon, a director and shareholder at Perkins Thompson, specializing in employment law; and Joan Fortin, a share- holder and the director of attorney recruiting at Bernstein Shur. Despite federal legislation enacted in the 1960s to prevent pay discrimination by gender, the latest studies show women working the same jobs as men are paid roughly 80% less than men, affecting both immediate income and retire- ment savings. The pay gap emerges right out of college. These situations tend to be indirect, said Storey, and might include factors such as lack of coherent promotion policies that might favor male employees, especially if the promoter is male. Some companies give preference to veterans, who tend to be male. Another example is when an employer posts job requirements but, in speak- ing with applicants, considers qualities that go beyond the posted requirements. For women, who remain society's primary caregivers and often step out of the workforce to raise children, that could be a disadvantage over male colleagues who stayed in the workforce. Babkirk said women often don't understand the market value of their work and tend to request lower starting salaries than men, or are likely to accept the employer's fi rst offer, whereas men negotiate for more — and most employers expect to negotiate. "Women are reticent to rock the boat," Babkirk said. Women are also generally more reluctant than men to value their skills and recognize them through concrete examples, said Babkirk, whose organization, Heart At Work Associates, developed a "professional value sheet" that helps workers determine the value of their skills as they navigate the market for raises, promotions, more vacation and other benefi ts. Citing a book called "Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide," by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever, Fortin said eight times as many men as women graduating with master's degrees from Carnegie Mellon University nego- tiated their salaries. The men who negotiated increased their starting salaries by about $4,000. "Women are great at negotiating for others, but not for themselves," Fortin said. As her fi rm's director of attorney recruiting, she said women are likely to accept the fi rst offer put before them, whereas men are likely to push back and negoti- ate for more. She added that she's worked to eliminate gender gaps at her fi rm. Another of the forum's speakers, Jean Hoffman — founder and former president-CEO of Portland-based Putney Inc., a maker of generic veterinary drugs that was sold a year ago for $200 million — advocated for the bigger picture. Hoffman encouraged women to think strategically as key members driving the organization's performance. Promotions and raises come with great perfor- mance, she said. "Think about how you can add value to get a bigger slice of the pie," she said. "Ultimately, money is just a manifestation of power." B R I E F P H O T O / B E K A H RO Y Panelists discuss solutions for women to close the wage gap at Mainebiz's Women's Leadership Forum, held April 6 at the University of Southern Maine's Abromson Center in Portland.

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