"I've asked for a raise 1-2 times per year for the last three years. I've been given most of them. Once I asked for a raise in the beginning of the year but didn't get the increase until towards the end. I know how hard I work, and I know how much money I bring in to the business. I told my supervisor that I was glad I got a raise but if the raise was given earlier in the year I could have contributed to my 401K and accrued more money, I asked them to consider how they could make up this difference to me. I know my co-workers and my supervisors will value me more if I value myself, not asking for a raise is a missed opportunity." Coreen Callister is a business development associate at IDEO in San Francisco.
Claire Rowell
"There were socially accepted topics of conversation in my home and money wasn't one of them. I never learned the vocabulary for asking for more, asking for a raise, using my connection to network and advance my career. I don't think men question money or networking the same way. My grandmother taught me to never overstay your welcome and to not be an imposition." Claire Rowell is a workplace anthropologist with PLASTARC, where she says her boss, Melissa Marsh, is a true role model. "It is inspiring to see Melissa's command over a meeting. She is confident and capable and often she is the only woman in the room. A lot of my friend's mothers are like this too and I admire them. They are strong women and their example is trickling down to their daughters. I am not yet equipped with all of these traits and skills but I hope to be in the very near future."