By Rebecca Game
Did you know that it's estimated that one out of every three workers is an underearner and that most of them are women? Yet despite the fact that this so widespread, it's hardly understood and discussed even less. It's truly distressing that the wage difference between men and women captures a lot of attention while while the deeper rooted problem is in our own selves to settle for so much less.
There was a cartoon published that showed a bunch of men sitting around the conference table while you can see that one of them is speaking to the rest. The caption read, "Gentlemen we need to slash expenses in half, so we're replacing each of you with a woman." What really makes this a sad picture is not the fact that women are being offered half the salaray, what's really sad is that men KNOW we'll accept the offer.
I know a lot of women who work all day long plus have several projects going on outside of work, plus have a family they take care of, plus have a hobby they do for fun, and yet they are underearners because "why"? They have more than 24 hours in a day it seems yet they think they don't have what it takes to earn more. How much more can they do? Well the fact is they don't need to do more, they need to take their present enthusiasm and turn it into a full pocketbook.
My mother used to save foil. She also saved grocery bags, newspapers, anything that could be used again to save money. I'm not knocking it, I'm merely pointing out a frame of mind. "We must do with less." "Money doesn't grow on trees." "Money is the root of all evil." I loved it once when I heard Anthony Robbins say, "Money is not the root of all evil. LACK of money is. Think about it."
So how do you earn what you deserve? First you have to change the frame of mind. It takes money to make money. In the old frame of mind you might be thinking, "I don't have any money to make money", but it's not true. I didn't say it takes a LOT of money to make money. In the right frame of mind you should be thinking something like, "How can I turn this 20.00 into 100.00?" To get in the right frame of mind, think positive questions and you will get positive answers.
You would not believe the amount of emails I get from women who are professing to be destitute. If they have internet access and can email me, then they can make a wealthy living online. I started my own company with only 59.00 and internet access. When they write me I can see that they are already defeated and nothing I write back is going to phase them because I don't have enough time to clearly explain that the problem is not with their finances but with their thinking. I've been there... in the poor house. I "WON'T" work for minimum wage. I won't work for someone else. Why do I care to make them rich? I don't.
How to stop being an underearner:
1. Change your frame of mind
2. Realize the value of your expertise no matter the subject field
3. Demand what you are worth and stop underestimating your worth
4. Spend extra time becoming even more of an expert
5. Promote yourself
6. Stop taking what's handed out and start asking for what's right
7. Don't be willing to work for free. If a project takes overtime then get the overtime pay
8. Learn how to negotiate effectively
9. Do not live in financial chaos. Organize your finances immediately to see where you are and where you need to go
10. Open yourself up to new possibilities and opportunities
If you are a constant underearner, wake up and smell the money!
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Rebecca Game has been an entrepreneur for over 30 years and is the Founder of
Digital Women®, an online community for women in business providing business resources and tools including loans for women, grants for women and business networking tools.
How to Earn What You Deserve
