Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella landed into controversy on his comments about gender pay gap. Nadella was speaking at an event in New York when he was asked to comment on how young women can ask for a raise. Nadella replied that women don't need to ask for a raise and should just trust the system to pay them well.
He further said that not asking for a raise can in fact be “one of the additional superpowers that, quite frankly, women who don’t ask for a raise have. Because that’s good karma. It’ll come back because somebody’s going to know that’s the kind of person that I want to trust. That’s the kind of person that I want to really give more responsibility to. And in the long-term efficiency, things catch up.”
Nadella was blasted on social media for his sexist comments, following which he also apologised saying, that he was wrong for saying that women shouldn’t ask for a raise and should just trust the system. We ask women professionals and on what they think about this.
I am really shocked that a person of such high caliber said something like that. If there is no difference in degree, work experience and skills then why should there be any disparity between the salaries? I wonder if Mr. Nadella gives the same advise to the women in his family.”
Manisha Rai, 28, banker
“Women think that they get paid lesser than men while men have the perception that women get away with less work and frequent leaves. I feel there is a need for organizations to be just and make sure that no such inequality exists. One should be awarded/compensated as per one’s achievement irrespective of the sex. However, I am happy to see that he has apologised and at least tried to make his stand clear.”
Nisha Kumbhare, 29, architect
“If not asking for a raise is good karma on the part of women professionals, then by that logic, does not rewarding a deserving candidate just because it’s a ‘she’ amount to bad karma? I hope this comment by the Microsoft CEO acts as a warning sign to all those women working or aspiring to work there. Says a lot about how the company functions.”
Reema Singh, 27, software engineer
The HR point of view:
“Gender pay gap is a myth. Take the example of any industry, today women are out there, ready to take on challenges and climb up the ladder. I also feel that unlike men, women are more concerned about the kind of work, work culture and conditions and it is not always about money that drives them to give their 100 per cent. Personally, I have never asked for a raise because I have been happy with my work. And in situations where I felt that I am not getting what I deserve, I have moved on.”
Suguna Srinivasan, recruitment head with a media company
“The pay disparity does exist but it is seldom due to a bias for one sex over the other. Over time, women may often see themselves lagging behind their male counterparts with whom they started their career. Though most career oriented women tend to put everything in the back burner to carve a good profile, there comes a point, when the family, husband and kids demand the same attention, while responsibilities at work continue to grow. Many women also tend to take a break post marriage or due to pregnancy of other family commitments.
Manisha Dedhia, head, admin and recruitment at a digital agency.