Know Your Value

March 21, 2011
Brzezinski knew that her role as cohost of the MSNBC show Morning Joe was integral to the show's success, and yet she was getting paid a fraction of what her male counterparts were. The network was certainly to blame, but so, she realized, was she; this was just the last in a long run of jobs where she'd seen a salary discrepancy, worked long hours to prove herself, got angry at herself for not earning more money and respect, and stormed off and got a new jobâonly to repeat the pattern. Wondering if other successful women also consistently undermined and undercut themselves, she interviews power womenâObama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, Tina Brown, Nora Ephron, Suze Orman, and Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg. Brzezinski illustrates how women undervalue themselves in the workplaceâexcessive gratitude "just to have the opportunity," not negotiating their contracts, taking on extra work for which they're not being paid, and asking for raises in ways in which they're virtually certain to be turned down. While these insights are familiar, the celebrity angle provides much-needed perspectiveâif even the most successful women undervalue themselves out of a desire to be liked, as Joy Behar admits, then clearly the rest of us accepting 77 cents on our male colleagues' dollar are not alone. A thoughtful look at how women can quit getting in their own way.