To change the culture of science and close the pay equity gap, we must change institutional norms and make it easy to seek and pay all scientists what they’re worth. Women make 83 cents to the dollar a man makes and that gap increases for Black, Latinx, and Native women.
— Jane Zelikova, Lauren Edwards, Wendy Bohon & Maryam Zaringhalam

At 500 Women Scientists, we are beginning to chip away at the pay equity gap through Fix The Gap, starting with speaking engagements.

About

In Spring 2021, we launched a survey to crowd-source speaking fees and honoraria from across STEMM disciplines, career stages, geographies, and contexts in order to create a transparent public-facing resource. We wanted to normalize compensation for STEMM professionals for their expertise, and make it easy for anyone, especially those from historically excluded communities, to seek compensation for their expertise and point to a resource to justify their “ask”.

What we Heard From You

We received responses from over 700 STEMM professionals, and are deeply thankful for the time and energy everyone took to thoughtfully share their experiences, and submit 1,000+ honoraria.

Among the responses, we noticed several themes, including respondents expressing that: 

  • They had not thought about receiving honoraria for speaking engagements before; 

  • It is difficult to navigate financial compensation; and

  • A cultural change is necessary to better value researchers’ time and efforts, especially for researchers belonging to historically excluded communities.

Meet: Fix the Gap

 
Photo of a person holding a sign reading "Equal Pay." Text on the right: "Fix the Gap. Congratulations, you've been invited to a speaking engagement! Not sure what to ask when it comes to an honorarium? Explore our honorarium database."
 

Picture this: you've been invited to deliver a workshop, or participate on a two hour panel unrelated to your work. The organizers have asked for an honoraria estimate. How do you navigate this? What do you propose?

That’s easy: head to 500 Women Scientists’ new Fix The Gap database to explore 1,000+ honoraria for speaking engagements!

In our new open-access honoraria database, you can filter honoraria by various factors, including country, gender, age range, and the type of speaking engagement (e.g., talks, panels, workshops, keynotes, and guest lectures). This database is best viewed on a computer or laptop, rather than a small screen.

P.S. Help grow our database further by anonymously submitting honoraria you have received for speaking engagements in the past.

fix the gap panel

 
 

On Tuesday 12 April, 2022, we hosted the Fix The Gap panel, and the launched our open-access directory of honoraria for STEMM-related speaking engagements!

We heard from panelists (Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, Dr. Kaela Singleton and Claire Wasserman) on how to navigate financial compensation when it comes to STEMM-related speaking engagements.

resources

Graphic reading: "Fix the Gap: Resources. Check back!"

We’re now hard at work developing a highly-requested written guide for STEMM professionals on how to negotiate honoraria.

In the meantime, check out the following resources.

Ladies Get Paid is a global platform and community for professional women to level up in their careers and achieve financial freedom. Join the Ladies Get Paid community (free) to attend free webinars and networking events, or purchase a pro membership ($149) to access the expert video library. You can also check out the book Ladies Get Paid, or attend the  free full day Get Money Get Paid virtual conference on May 24, 2022.

Check out the Earth Sciences Women’s Network’s panel recording: How to successfully negotiate a salary.

Here is the Skimm Impact’s Paid Family Leave database.

 

what’s next

It’s clear that there is a lot to tackle when it comes to pay equity, and so, we will continue to build and amplify relevant resources. 

But we’re also beginning to think bigger, beyond honoraria for speaking fees. The pay equity gap has been well-documented globally in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM). What if we were to compile a database of salaries, or one for awards and scholarships?

We’ll be back!

For questions or suggestions, please contact gage@500womenscientists.org