I worked for a while in a government organization which handed out bonuses to "top performers."  In my opinion, the true top performers, whether men or women, did not get the big bucks.  The shameless self-promoters did.

One thing women need to learn to be more competitive is how to toot their own horns.  You may think it is crass or immodest, but NO ONE notices those who quietly and competently do their jobs every day, even if they really excel.

I couldn’t agree with Lila more!

The biggest mistake women (and some men) make is the mistake in their belief that if they work really hard their boss will notice and then they will get recognition. I can not begin to tell you how wrong that is. It is the employee that not only works hard BUT ALSO tells their boss of their accomplishments on a regular (but tactful way - you don’t want to come off as a "know-it-all of kiss up) that gets the recognition.

I have always at every company I worked for "worked as if my name was on the company checks" Be aware of where you work, what they produce and why, clients and contracts they have and whenever possible try to learn as much about other departments and jobs so that you are perceived as an invaluable employee. Your role should never be to function as a worker bee or drone. No….it is always best to be the Queen Bee.

This has been thought-provoking, all right. When the late sixties and early seventies feminist discussions came along, we were concerned about getting good jobs, being respected as equals, being considered as qualified contenders in the then mostly male-dominated fields like law, medicine, finance and on and on. And when we managed to break through in many ways, it soon became apparent that "equal pay for equal work" was NOT happening. It still isn’t. When I first began teaching, I was once told that a male colleague’s salary "had to be" more than mine because he was married and his wife was expecting, while I was a single woman whose "needs" were not as pressing. I seethed, and updated my resume and soon departed from that job. Today we wouldn’t hear something as blatant as I heard back in the day, but obviously there are many ways to hide the continued inequity in compensation, bonuses, promotions and so on.

Part of it, IMHO, may reside in women’s ability to negotiate firmly and assertively, to promote themselves effectively, and - most important - to develop a strong mentor network. For years, the boys met at the golf club, at the bar, at the gym, and did a lot of wheeling and dealing. Women, on the other hand, put in long, long hours, took work home, came in on weekends, and so on, and were not always in the loop of the politics of their organization. And let’s face it, finding the right way to make sure that your contributions and efforts are fully recognized is like walking a tightrope: one wrong phrase and you may be perceived as "aggressive"; "backstabbing"; "bitchy". (While the guys are just asking for their due, the women are "pushy".) 

This being said, we still have a long way to go in the workplace. What should be rewarded is often completely ignored. Those who reap the hefty bonuses and praise are often the ones who least deserve it. And in the financial sector, bonuses are negotiated via contractual obligation, as we have seen. Whether the person actually performed well, or brought the company to the point of utter chaos or ruin, that contract is ironclad, and the payout comes despite the mess. Grrrrrrr.