People put passion over their paychecks.
Most workers are more interested in doing a job they love than closing the gender pay gap, according to new data from mobile banking company Varo Money Inc. and Propeller Insights.
The “Talk Money to Me” survey of more than 1,000 US adults aged 18 and up revealed that 55 percent of women and 65 percent of men would accept their dream job even if they knew they’d be paid less than someone of the opposite sex doing the same job. The percentages are even higher among millennials, as 64 percent of women and 71 percent of males from that demographic said they are willing to take a position they love, even if it means making less than a coworker of the opposite sex in a similar position with the same level of experience.
Previous research suggests that younger generations, in particular, are looking for jobs that give them purpose. Millennials want to feel like they can make a difference in worldly issues and 76 percent believe the workplace is a vehicle for positive social impact, which gives them a sense of empowerment, according to a 2017 Deloitte survey.
Participants in the Vero Money study were asked, “Would you accept your dream position if you knew you would get paid less than a person of another gender doing the same job?” The results found that 18 percent of men and 9 [ercemt of women feel that gender equality doesn’t matter in this case — an alarming reveal considering women in the US on average earn 17.6 percent less than men. In 2018, women overall earn just 77.9 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts across the US labor market.
Looking at love and money, respondents were also asked if they make more than their partner; if they completed a higher level of education than their significant other; and how important wealth is when considering a life partner. The report found that more than a third (36 percent) of American women now earn more than their partner and this figure is even higher among millennial women (40 percent). More than half of women (52 percent) have also completed a higher level of education than their partners. What’s more, 73 percent of Americans say they don’t care if their significant other makes more or less money than they do and more than half (53 percent) say wealth is not a consideration when choosing a spouse.