It's International Women's Day, and while many advances in gender equality have been made, research reveals there is still a lot of work to be done.

CU Times took the opportunity to share some insights gathered from women across the industry on everything from personal development to steps that can be taken for pay parity.

Read on for tips on how to be your best self and advance professionally.

Here are three actions that can be taken to narrow the pay gap: Audit, negotiate and advocate.

international women's day

Audit

It is important to have a complete understanding of the wages paid to our employees. Conducting salary audits will help proactively monitor and solve any gender-based pay differences that exist within our organizations.

Negotiate

When possible, promote deserving women who have the skills, compentencies and drive to help the organization succeed.
Track how many women are leading in your organization to identify opportunities. Are women leaders arriving by accident or intentionally?
Learn and teach strategies for better negotiation of fair pay. Do your research and understand what your skill sets, experience and contributions are truly worth.

Advocate

Get in front of legislators and advocate for fair pay. The Paycheck Fairness Act calls for stronger incentives for employers to follow the law, enhancement of federal enforcement efforts and the prohibition of retaliation against workers asking about wage practices.

Calyn Ostrowski

Executive Director

Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions

Source: TMG White Paper Financial Support Critical to Greater Female Leadership

international women's day I don't care what color, age or gender; gender preference is present on a team. Do extraordinary work. Do what you are called to do. Do what you love. Do what you are scared to do. Help others. The rest will follow.

Therefore, I hesitate to contribute to dialogue about the marginalization of a sub group. I never want to minimize a challenge someone has faced due to gender. However, conversations of this nature may unintentionally indoctrinate victimization.

With that in mind, here are my tips:

Notice the presence of “us vs. them” conversations in your system: Men vs. women, minorities vs. majority, ageist comments. Even management vs. staff. Stop having and tolerating those conversations. Silence is a form of tolerance. Bring awareness when you see it, hear it, feel it. There is only us. There is no them.

Make personal development your obsession. Show me your plan for yourself and each person in your team. Tell me how you are going to learn, grow or challenge yourself in the next 90 days. Then show me your 90-day playbook on each member of your team. Repeat every 90 days. It's a scientific method. Test and learn. Evolve and adapt. Quickly. Tell me how you are helping others outside of your team. When people feel heard, understood and respected, profound things can happen.

Kirsi Hall

Founder and Chief Catalyst

Kirsi Hall, LLC

international women's day First – I suggest that women be BOLD. The men are!

Ask for that raise – you know you deserve it.

Put your hand up for that promotion. Let your boss and your boss' boss know you're interested in advancement.

You also have to believe in yourself enough to aspire to the role – if you don't think you can do it, nobody else will either. Then you have to take a hard look at yourself – your credentials, your talents, your shortcomings … basically, your “brand” – and put yourself in the shoes of the decision makers. Take stock of all those things and go about filling in the gaps. While you're polishing your personal packaging, you need to be putting yourself out there and raising your profile. Competition for the corner office is intense, so you can't expect anybody to search you out – you have to put yourself out there and be somebody that others view as a leader.

My final tip is men do matter in the equation. Remember – it's not just a women's fraternity that will help you. Get men on your side. They have wives and mothers and sisters that may be stuck, young daughters they may be worried about. Don't discount their advice and assistance in removing the barriers.

Teresa Freeborn

President/CEO

Xceed Financial Credit Union

international women's day I've never believed that it has been necessary for me to change who I am to “fit in” a corporate environment. Don't feel defeated by challenges or setbacks. As a young person, it took me a while to learn that when it came to questions of values and fairness, I was ready to contribute even though my technical skills were still developing.

Marvel Ford

SVP/Risk Management Officer

California Credit Union

international women's day I'd advise everyone to create their own values-based mission statement. We've only got one life. If you don't love what you are doing now, then take a moment to think about what you might enjoy doing because you aren't doing anyone any favors by staying put. It's okay if something doesn't meet our expectations because that creates a fire for the next thing. Every career move I've made, I've revisited that statement and it's clear to me when it's time to do something new.

Jamie Strayer

Founder/Instigator of Goodness

CU Strategic Planning

international women's day Without the support of my mentor Teresa Andrews and her giving me the opportunities I had, it would have been a longer climb to be where I am today. So, I find it only fitting to be a resource for others. We all need someone to guide us at some point in our careers. Someone once told me that I would someday realize my true potential when I believed I deserved it. They saw something in me that I didn't see in myself and it was in that moment that I felt that much more validated and inspired to increase my professional capacity.

Tanita Richardson

AVP Real Estate Lending

Chevron Federal Credit Union

international women's day Even in the credit union industry, which is better than traditional banks, even though qualified female executives step up to the next level, a good 75% still feel intimidated or that they aren't qualified enough. My advice is learn as much as you can, learn people skills, network, build relationships, and it may sound redundant, but as women we've got to believe in ourselves more. Push out those doubting voices. For me, I realized it was time to believe in myself after that pep talk with my former CEO, because if someone else could see it in me then I needed to be able to see it in myself.

Lourdes Cortez

President/CEO

North Jersey Federal Credit Union

Instant Insights /

International Women's Day: Seizing Opportunities

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