Confession: I Left a Job I Loved Because of the Gender Pay Gap

In my mid-20s, I made the tough call to walk away from a company I genuinely loved—all because of the gender pay gap. I was outworking everyone in my cohort—taking on more responsibility, traveling constantly, even mentoring some of my male counterparts. But when I found out I was being paid 15% less than the men around me, it was like a punch in the gut. Burnt out from the workload and endless travel, all I wanted was fair pay. You’d think that would be a given—spoiler alert: it wasn’t. So, I walked.

Leaving wasn’t easy, but it was the right move. I found a company that recognized my worth and gave me the balance I deserved.

Now, 20 years later, we’ve got the KPMG, WLDA, and Revelio Labs study, and the data shows that we still haven’t made enough progress.

It’s frustrating. Women are still facing the same obstacles, and new female entrants into Data & AI roles are at a 16-year low. The gender pay gap remains, with women earning 6% to 13% less than men. And with women holding only 30% of leadership roles, we’re seeing a lack of representation that trickles down into missed mentorship, sponsorship, and a sense of belonging.

This has to change. We can’t keep losing brilliant minds to systemic inequities. After 24 years in this industry, I still seek out women leaders for support—that’s why I joined WLDA. There’s a real void at the executive level, and even I needed peer mentorship. It’s wild out there.

But as someone who’s been through it, I’m committed to driving change:

• I push for pay reviews by gender to make sure women are being compensated fairly. Equal pay for equal work is non-negotiable.
• I insist on giving women’s resumes the visibility they deserve during recruitment, ensuring biased AI algorithms don’t stand in their way.
• I prioritize mentoring and sponsoring women because we know men often have informal mentorship opportunities that women may miss out on. I make sure the women on my team have the support they need.

I say this fully aware of my privilege.

As a woman without children, I can sit in my living room on a Sunday morning, sipping coffee and reading about my industry. I have time to think, learn, and grow. But I see women every day—many with small children—who don’t have that luxury. They’re at the top of their careers, yet forced to hit pause, often never reaching their full potential again. Even with my privilege, getting where I am took everything I had. Women have so much grit.

That’s also why I serve as a chapter leader for Women in Data—because it’s not just about paying it forward. It’s about ensuring we’re all rising together.

But it doesn’t stop there. What can your organization do?

1. Champion digital literacy programs. Organizations with more women in Data & AI are 65% more likely to have strong digital literacy initiatives. These programs help women in roles like marketing or finance transition into Data & AI, enriching your talent pool with diverse perspectives.
2. Be an active ally. Support and promote women by ensuring their voices are heard and their contributions recognized. Allyship requires action—lift up women and champion their successes.
3. Invest in mentorship and sponsorship. Mentorship is key, but sponsorship drives advancement. Create programs that connect women with senior leaders, helping them build networks and access leadership opportunities.

The numbers are clear—we need change. This isn’t just a women’s issue—it’s a leadership issue, an innovation issue, and a growth issue.

Oh, and I have to say this because it’s important: there are women leaders out there in the trenches of HR and Finance who are already doing everything they can to support other women. I know I’ve personally benefited from their support over the years, and I love them for it. I see them—they’re burnt out in ways you can’t imagine, and they want this change as much as anyone else. So, support them in return. Speak up when you see them being challenged, and push for change together. We’re in this fight as a collective, and they need our voices just as much as we need theirs.

Let’s rise to the occasion. Let’s create a Data & AI world where equity is the norm, not the exception.

Read the study here: https://kpmg.com/kpmg-us/content/dam/kpmg/corporate-communications/pdf/2024/CareerOutlookforWomeninDataAnalyticsandAI_20240925_final.pdf