A study was published by the Newspaper Guild-affiliated Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees, the union that represents newsroom employees, concerning the disparity of pay between men, women and minorities. Soon after, in a memo to staff at the Wall Street Journal, Will Lewis, chief executive of the newspaper’s parent company, Dow Jones & Company, announced they would conduct a review of their salaries. Mr. Lewis stated, “Any pay disparity relating to an employee’s race or gender is troubling and inconsistent with the standards I strive to maintain at Dow Jones”.
The study has found that not much has changed in 25 years, which back then; women made up 46 percent of the workforce and were paid about 24 percent less than men, on average. In comparison today, women make up 47 percent of the union workforce, but they still earn less at 13.2 percent.
Gerry Baker, editor-in-chief of the Wall Street Journal, wrote in a memo to staffers, “We have the finest journalists in the world and I am anxious to ensure that we reward them properly and equitably.”
In Mr. Lewis’ words, “Improvements will then follow.” To review the numbers in this study, you can visit the article directly here.