Soul of pay equity: A women’s Equality Day call to action

Teniqua Broughton

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Data alone doesn’t liberate us. Intellect demands strategy. I learned this the hard way when I negotiated my salary early on in my career. Rather than merely listing my credentials, I framed the conversation around ROI — Return on Investment. I didn’t just ask, “What do you pay someone with my degrees?” I asked, “What impact will I deliver in return for each dollar you invest in me?””

Opinion

Broughton: You vs. You — empowering women to step into their purpose

Women’s Equality Day, Aug. 26,  commemorates the right to vote, but the deeper promise of that milestone was full participation in society, including economic life. Pay equity is where that promise becomes measurable.

We often speak of equality — everyone having the same opportunity. But equity digs deeper. It ensures that compensation reflects not just the role, but the real value, contributions and lived context of each individual. Equality is the goal; equity is the strategy that gets us there.

In the 30‑odd years I’ve walked the halls of boardrooms, nonprofits and conference centers, I’ve come to realize that pay equity isn’t simply numbers on a spreadsheet. At its core, it is the “Soul of Pay Equity.” And like any soul, it’s made up of three distinct parts: our intellect, our will and our emotions. If we want to build workplaces and lives of true justice and abundance, we need to feed all three.

Intellect: Naming the pitfalls

When we look at the intellectual side of pay equity, we’re confronting cold, hard data — the pitfalls, not the problems. According to Forbes, women still earn only 82 cents for every dollar earned by men, and that gap persists even when accounting for job title, experience, and hours worked.

Latinas and Black women fare even worse, earning barely half of what their non‑Hispanic white male counterparts bring home. A young woman entering the workforce today stands to lose nearly half a million dollars over her career simply because of her gender. These aren’t abstract statistics; they’re life‑changing realities.

But data alone doesn’t liberate us. Intellect demands strategy. I learned this the hard way when I negotiated my salary early on in my career. Rather than merely listing my credentials, I framed the conversation around ROI — Return on Investment. I didn’t just ask, “What do you pay someone with my degrees?” I asked, “What impact will I deliver in return for each dollar you invest in me?”

When you understand your unique value — the programs you’ll build, the people you’ll inspire, the results you’ll achieve — you transform a pay negotiation from a plea into a business proposition. That’s intellect in action: knowing your facts, knowing your value and leveraging both with precision.

Will: Choosing your strategy

Will is the act of choice — the muscle that turns knowledge into action. Whether you’re an employer or an entrepreneur, you must decide: How will you accept, prepare for and process compensation? If you lead with a number you can’t justify, you’ll leave credibility on the table. If you demand whatever you feel entitled to without a blueprint, you risk frustration or worse, silence.

Employers, too, must harness will. A pay equity audit isn’t a one‑and‑done checkbox; it’s an ongoing commitment to fairness. Ask your HR team to map out every role, review every salary band and shine a light on hidden disparities.

Publish transparent guidelines around pay practices. Update them annually. If that feels strange, start small: share ranges for new hires, explain what skills or years of service move the needle and invite questions.

For individuals, will means crafting your strategy. Before you walk into that negotiation room — or click “send” on that freelance proposal — gather your “receipts.” What projects did you lead? How did your efforts drive revenue, efficiency or impact? How much did your last hire save you in time? Every bullet point on your résumé should translate into a bulletproof case for your ask. Will is the courage to say, “Here’s what I need, and here’s why it makes sense for both of us.”

Emotions: Healing our relationship with money

Finally, we come to Emotions — the tender tendrils that shape our money story long before we ever quote a salary range. Fear, shame, anxiety, even imposter syndrome: all can cripple our ability to ask for what we deserve.

Ask yourself: What is your current relationship with money? Do you see pay as a tool for growth, or as a means of survival? Do you feel guilty earning more than your peers or partner? Do you silence your inner voice that says, “I’m worth it”?

Healing begins with intention. Journaling about your money memories (such as your first allowance, your first paycheck, the adult conversations you overheard) reveals the emotional patterns secretly steering your decisions. Then, you can reframe them. Turn fear into curiosity: “What happens if I ask for more?” Convert shame into confidence: “I earned this, and I deserve it.” When you soothe the emotional wound, negotiation becomes a conversation rooted in mutual respect.

The soulful call to action

This Women’s Equality Day, we need to transform celebration into momentum. Pay equity won’t arrive on its own. We must claim it, piece by piece: with clear data, intentional strategy and emotional courage.

Ask yourself: are you arming your team with facts? Are you anchoring every ask in impact? This is smart leadership. So, audit your own pay journey, confront old fears and lift up others as you go. When our intellect, will and emotions unite, we honor the suffragists’ legacy and build workplaces — and lives — of genuine equality.

Editor’s note: Teniqua Broughton is CEO of Phoenix-based VerveSimone Consulting. She is the author of “My Leader, My Self: Self-Awareness for Harnessing Super Powers in Yourself and Others.” Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.