Share your story: #makethempay

Have you asked your male colleagues what they earn yet?

Women and Equalities minister Jo Swinson and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg are both backing our #makethempay campaign, urging women to ask their male colleagues how much they earn to highlight the gender pay gap, but we want you involved too. Together we can bring about real change.

First up, spread the word using #makethempay – we want everyone we know and everyone you know to be part of the discussion. Thousands of you have already engaged on social media so we know how much resonance this subject is having.

The next step? Start asking your male colleagues that all important question…

‘How much do you earn?’ If he does the same job, ask him his salary. Simple.

Feminism is about equality. As Swinson and Clegg reiterated after reading about ELLE’s #makethempay initiative, women need to get over any apprehension about broaching the subject of salary in the workplace. If you find out you are earning less than men who do the same job as you, you should go to your boss and ask why. We’ve raised the issue now we need to act to challenge the status quo.

The more noise we make, the more companies will be forced to listen – and change. At the moment, women on average earn 17.4% less than men. We think this is terrible – and it needs to change.

Share your stories with us. We want to know how your colleagues reacted: what support have you had? How much resistance have you experienced when addressing this issue in the workplace? What is the debate surrounding this subject in your office?