Hes paid more than me for the same job

The PHD may be a red herring - he’s good at research because he has a PHD, but if a PHD isn’t a requirement of the job, that can’t be justification for such a big pay gap. If you are able to make the same contribution as him, you should be paid the same.

As another poster said though, I’d start looking around. It’s amazing how often things sour when women stand up for themselves. (And then hit them with an equal pay claim)

Sorry, just saw that you asked him his salary. Well done - takes guts to do that tbf.

I am in a similar situation, but a £7k gap and no difference at all in qualification or experience.

Sorry to wade in OP but how did you find out he was paid more?

I found out by accident through something I shouldn’t have clicked on, so now don’t feel I can raise it

I have tried highlighting reasons why I should be paid more not bringing him into it to no avail.

[quote pickledpancake3]@TheMShip even though they have 30 years industry experience?[/quote]
Yes - I didn't say the same salary as them though! You're getting better results. They were on over £48k, if they were on double your current salary. The other person is on £42k with a PhD. I think starting in with your current performance and how that is an improvement over the previous years is the right way to go, then bring up first the salary of the previous post holder, then the salary of your co-worker as evidence for what you are worth.

Another thought -- you should try to assess what your 'value' might be on the job market. It will give you a better idea of what salary to suggest than just comparing to your colleague (which based on the info you provided, may not be an apples-with-apples comparison). Sites like glassdoor can help - you can check the salary ranges for other organizations for roles with similar responsibilities.

It sounds like a very big gap, but if (as you say) his PhD is sometimes very relevant for the work you do, then I would imagine a large portion of the difference would be a premium for his specific expertise, built up over four or more years of research, which very few other people (if anyone, depending on the area), might have. It's quite rare for a PhD topic to be super relevant for a non-academic job, so I would hesitate to get very up in arms about the difference before speaking with your manager.

Christ. That difference is huge. Leadership v PhD. Have you ever talked to your boss about this before? To gauge what he thinks/ the reasoning?

Can you put out some feelers to see what the job market is like for you, were you to move? I would start to do this immediately for these three reasons(and there are many more I'm sure):

1. If you do get to offer stage, the salary you get offered is a useful data point
2. If your request for more money goes unanswered, and/or the gap between you and PhD guy remains large, it will sooner or later (('d wager sooner) eat away at your soul and you will want to move
3. You are being underpaid relative to a male colleague doing the same job which does not show your current employer in a good light when it comes to the gender pay gap and their response to it. As you get older (and possibly become a working mother) you definitely would want an employer who is, above all else, fair in its treatment of women, as its gets harder, much harder.

Also is there a published salary grading scheme and can a job evaluation be done on your roles to establish what grade you should be at? Or do they just make up salaries as they go along?

Is he going to be getting a pay rise this year too, or is that his salary after his rise this year?

The individual who did my role last year learnt over twice what I am earning, but had more experience. That being said I am receiving better results

This is what you should focus on when you ask for a pay rise.

I would go in expecting to be knocked down so ask for more than you want to end up with.
Are you allowed to know how much other people are paid? If you are, I would use that as an example....

@pickledpancake3 have you got an HR department? Sounds like you potentially have an equal pay claim if the work is essentially the same.

Even if it's not exactly the same you could argue it was of equal value.

The only defence is if there's a material factor for the difference in pay. e.g. market forces, seniority, experience,

How certain are you about his salary? If you are 100% certain and have a good relationship with your boss, I would raise it and let them explain why he’s worth so much more, for reasons unrelated to your sex.

A lot would depend on what your job/role is and what relevance the phd has to that role.

You should definitely ask for a raise!

Not the full 42k though. He's been there longer than you and has a relevant PhD. For context I earn 41k with a PhD relevent to my job and my colleague earns 30k with a masters. I started a year ago on 40k and he started 2 years ago on 27k.

At the end of the day it takes about 4 years to get a PhD which is 4 years experience in the field which is brought to the job.

@pickledpancake3 that is a shitshow. If you're in a union, get to them asap!

Alternatively, could you invest a bit of cash in a good tough career coach, to be coached in how to make sure that you get a salary increase, and a clear trajectory towards the salary that your "junior" colleague* receives, and a clear time frame.
*He reports to you?

Alternatively again, are you in a field where you could move? You could threaten to walk. It's the nuclear option, but useful to have up your sleeve.

I once found, in discussing a freelance one-off payment, that I was being paid less than another person working on the same event, except I was doing twice the work (all documented). I simply said, "So X is paid £XX for doing that, while I'm paid ..." and said no more. It put them on the back foot, and my fee was increased pretty much immediately.

I imagine your colleague was able to negotiate a higher rate in the first place, and he's been there 2 years to your 1. The problem is, that there's a double whammy here:

• women are not expected to bargain hard, so employers offer them lower salaries to start off with; (sounds like your case?)
• if women do negotiate, there is an unconscious (you hope it's not conscious)] bias against this "unfeminine" behaviour.

Fucked either way. You need support.

That's a huge difference. Would you consider asking for a pay rise to narrow the gap, and a funded PhD (related to your work) to bring your skills on par? Sounds like it would definitely be worth it if it can double a salary! (And they certainly will say it's the PhD, not the penis, that explains the pay disparity)

My husband is completing a masters and wil go onto a phd because he knows that if he does, he will get paid a lot more (for doing the same job)