Léa realized this during a conversation with her colleagues. Holder of a master’s degree in business management from the University of Sydney (Australia), the 25-year-old had been hired a few months earlier as a project manager with a permanent employment contract on a scale, a new company having managed to make its operation viable. “When talking to them I realize that they pay me 32 thousand [32 000 euros] per year compared to 40k for them. I was shockedremember. However, I was more qualified than some, spoke more languages and had more responsibilities. »
Léa (all persons designated by name have wished to remain anonymous) then goes to see her manager, who intervenes, accusing her of not being “never happy”. During the four and a half years that she will remain in the company, the young executive will receive raises: “But since I left the 8k late, I was never able to recover the difference”he laments. Looking back, Léa, now 32 years old and a product manager at a consulting agency, knows that her main mistake was not negotiating her salary enough when she was hired: “Now I know what to do: ask for more than you think you deserve. That’s what kids do. »
Léa’s situation is not an isolated case. According to the “Insertion 2024” barometer, carried out each year by the Grandes Écoles Conference, Grandes Écoles graduates continue to earn less than their male peers at the end of their studies: “This year, with equal experience and qualifications, the average salary without bonuses for men (39,804 euros) is 5.2% (37,835 euros) higher than that of women. » The banking and insurance, consulting, and information and communications technology sectors, where salaries are highest, have the largest gaps in hiring.
“The reaction can be very harsh”
“Five laws since 1972 and it still hasn’t been resolved! », gets exasperated Elise Bordet. At 32 years old, the founder of the 2082 association – referring to the year in which women should earn as much as men if the gap continues to reduce at the current rate – has set out to help the latter negotiate their salaries better. To do this, she relied on her own experience: an agricultural engineer, holder of a thesis in immunology, an MBA from the very selective College of Engineers, as well as a university diploma in artificial intelligence and health, which the young woman has had for a long time. He had great difficulty asking for raises. “I had negotiated my entry into the company well, but then I got really stuck! », she says.
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