Why do we still believe women are worth less?

Microsoft chief executive, Satya Nadella, has highlighted how vast the gender pay gap still is between women and men.

Gary Clement for The National

What would you rather have - a superpower that earns you karma credit or more cash in the bank?
I'd rather have my credit in hard currency and at my disposal, thank you very much.
This is in reaction to what Microsoft's chief executive said a few days ago. What it boils down to is that we are a long way off from equal pay for equal work. No, this is not about gender. It's about race and ethnicity too. It's about discrimination.
In case you missed it, Satya Nadella was speaking at a women's tech conference. And this is what he chose to say about the contentious issue of pay inequality: "It's not really about asking for the raise, but about knowing and having faith that the system will give you the right raises as you go along".
It has been found that women who ask for raises often don't get them, but what they do get is negative reactions.
Studies have shown that women who ask for more money for doing their job are perceived as demanding. Men suffer no backlash.
Mr Nadella didn't stop there. Incredibly he then went on to say: "I think that might be one of the additional superpowers that, quite frankly, women who don't ask for a raise have. Because that's good karma. It'll come back."
Mr Nadella, karma doesn't pay the bills. I do.
And here's the clincher for me. "Because that's the kind of person that I want to trust. That's the kind of person I want to give more responsibility to."
Sounds to me like that's the kind of person who ends up doing more for less.
Mr Nadella has found out that ill-chosen words can do a lot of damage very quickly. And the fallout sticks. But the bigger, scarier issue is that he thinks, believes, and most likely acts upon what he said. The message is that women are expected to put up, and shut up. And have faith. No wonder Facebook's chief executive Sheryl Sandberg's book, Lean In, has resonated so much.
I find it incredible that these words were spoken. That they were said by the chief executive of the world's largest software company at a women's gathering is all the more astounding. But I suppose it's a good thing too, because it makes us realise that there's a long way to go when it comes to equality. Legislation helps and is needed, but what really must change is people's mindsets.
Mr Nadella did go on to issue an apology. Not because he suddenly understands that women do need to stand up for themselves, come to the table and ask for raises and bigger, better jobs. He apologised for his "inarticulate" remarks. But I think he said sorry only because of the instant, condemning responses his words evoked. Instead of attacking, we should be thanking him for being honest, open and transparent. It means we know where women stand - further down the corporate ladder of pay, recognition and opportunity than we realised.
I wonder how the Hyderabad-born techie would have reacted if asked about Asian software developers and computer programmers earning $8,146 less than their white counterparts in the US - this according to the American Institute for Economic Research.
And they'd be the lucky ones. The same study shows that Hispanics earn $16,353 a year less, on average, than their non-Hispanic colleagues.
Unfortunately equality is illusive. Where you're from, what passport you hold and your gender all come into play when determining your monthly monetary worth. This issue is magnified in many ways in the UAE.
Expats are transient; the women follow their husbands and want something to "keep them busy"; if you don't like it, leave; this is more than he/she would ever get back home.
These are some of the justifications given regarding differences in pay here. I'm sure you or someone you know has stories to share.
Many corporations talk diversity, but that's not good enough. We need to talk money too.
In 1963, US president John F Kennedy signed a law called the Equal Pay Act. Fifty-plus years on and we're still not there. While you mull over where we are in the grand monetary scale of things, I suppose you can take comfort in the thought that you're not a Hispanic woman working at an American tech firm. Or worse.
Nima Abu Wardeh is the founder of the personal finance website cashy.me. You can reach her at [e-mail]
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