A Collaborative Initiative

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) and the sorority Delta Delta Delta (known as Tri Delta) have launched a national initiative to teach women at 20 colleges and universities how to negotiate their salaries and benefits packages with confidence.

Not a Tri Delta member? Learn about AAUW’s national salary negotiation workshops.

In 2016, median earnings for men in the United States were $51,640 compared with $41,554 for women — an earnings ratio of just 82 percent. And for many women the pay gap is wider than 20 percent. Latinas working full time are paid 54 cents for every dollar white non-Hispanic men are paid; American Indian or Alaska Native women 57 cents; Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander women 59 cents; black women 63 cents; and white non-Hispanic women 79 cents. Asian women are paid 87 cents to white men’s dollar.

Learn more about the national gender pay gap.

About AAUW Start Smart

AAUW Start Smart is specifically designed to teach you how to negotiate your salary for a new job. In every two-hour workshop you’ll gain confidence in your negotiation style through facilitated discussion and role-playing and learn

  • How to identify and articulate your personal value
  • How to develop an arsenal of persuasive responses and other strategies to use when negotiating
  • How to conduct objective market research to benchmark a target salary and benefits
  • About the pay gap, including its long-term consequences

Why is negotiation so important? AAUW’s research on the gender pay gap shows that one year out of college women are already paid significantly less than men — 18 percent less in 2009. And those lost potential earnings add up over a lifetime.

Women who negotiate increase their potential to earn higher salaries and better benefits packages. By negotiating for a fair and equitable salary you’ll be better able to pay off loans, buy the things you want and need, and even save (though it may seem far away) for retirement.

Find a Tri Delta-sponsored workshop near you in the list below. More coming soon!