Here’s some food for thought while you celebrate these lovely holidays with family. Research shows that, with my fancy college degree, I will earn, on average, $1.2 million less over my career than my male college classmates. This is because my average starting wage is lower, and therefore all raises are also lower, since raises are based on initial wages.

Actually, it’s even worse since I have my Master’s degree. Women with Medical degrees, Master’s degrees, or other advanced degrees will make $2 million on average less over their careers than male colleagues with the same job. (WAGE Project)

Granted, these numbers are for the US. But if you think that this problem doesn’t exist in Sweden, think again. In the 2012 ”Women And Men” by SCB, female professionals working in Marketing, Finance, and HR make 80% of what men do. Women working in Sales, Real Estate and related professions make 81% of what men make. You can download ”Women and Men 2012″ here.

Give yourself and your family a Christmas present that won’t stop giving this year – the gift of knowledge. Find out the average pay for your job, education and experience level and make sure you’re earning at least that. Also, make sure that your company, your Mom’s company, and your sister’s company are doing wage surveys every 3 years, as the Swedish law requires. Companies with 25+ employees have to do the wage survey every 3 years plus an action plan for gender-equal pay. If they need help, we at Add Gender can assist them. We’re talking about a lot of money here – more than a few extra Christmas presents under the tree!

Let’s fix the wage gap, one person at a time!